A Life of Wonder
by Maven Alazais
Summary: A collection of small everyday moments and important days in the life of Wonder Woman and Batman, with no important plot whatsoever. Following the main events of 'A Chase of Wonder', set in the JL and JLU cartoons universe. Mainly WonderBat with hints of other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

***A/N: So, ladies and gents, this is Maven Alazais on her WonderBat sequel! Thanks to everyone who read my previous BMWW fic and supported me in writing this and welcome to all those who are reading my work for the first time. I strongly suggest –if you feel up to it, of course- reading 'A Chase Of Wonder' before moving on to this one, or, if you don't wish to do so, know that Wonder Woman and Batman have gotten together, are going to have two children, a daughter named Iphigenia and a son named Thomas, and live at the Wayne Manor.**

**This is going to be a collection of small stories from their everyday lives as a couple and as a family and some important days in their lives, with no substantial plot whatsoever. I will try to have the chapters in a sort of chronological order, starting from when they first got together. The purpose of this is…to have some fun with Bruce and Diana. I hope you like it and please, by all means, leave me the smallest of reviews by the end! Your feedback means the world to me. Thanks for reading!***

**CHAPTER ONE**

Bruce had the grimmest of faces upon going through the big glass doors and into the buzzing mall. Diana by his side, held his hand and grinned widely. It had been a long time since she last went shopping and now, she had a very good reason as well.

"Please, can you stop looking like a child on time-out?" Diana said.

"No." Bruce spat, frowning.

"Try to have some fun. We're here for your sake, after all."

"We're here because you insisted. Not for my sake. I don't need this."

"You lost the bet and agreed to do this. Now stop sulking like a baby!"

Bruce almost growled and sighed deeply, crossing his arms over his chest. Diana tugged on his shirt and started moving towards a 'Ralph Lauren' shop. "Come." She said and Bruce followed her, rolling his eyes.

Diana squinted her eyes when she entered the shop, scanning almost every clothes' rack in under a second, making a mental list of the garments she wanted Bruce to try out. Refreshing his wardrobe certainly wasn't an easy task but she was willing to do it, with Alfred's blessing. When she had first opened his closet, she wasn't surprised in seeing rows and rows of black pants, black shirts, black jackets and some white shirts here and there. On the left side hung some tuxedos, in plastic coverings, some in shades of grey, some in black and one in a sandy beige color, she guessed for summer occasions. He also had a few polo T-shirts for the summer as well, but they were all either white, black or dark blue. When they had went around the Cyclades after leaving Themyscira, Bruce had allowed her to buy him an outfit or two and Diana was happy to notice that he wasn't too negative in wearing something a bit lighter and more casual than his usual attire. Yet, he was so grumpy at the moment, that she thought the state of blissfulness he was in their vacations back then was the only thing keeping him from whining too much. However, she wasn't going to give up and now was the perfect time to add a feminine touch in Bruce's wardrobe.

"Go wait in the queue for the dressing room." Diana said. "I will come there shortly, with what you're going to try on."

Bruce sighed once again, and dragged his feet to the queue, deep down feeling happy not having to join her in selecting clothes. He didn't know why she was so fixed in having this shopping trip. If you asked him, his style was classic. Black and grey were both very nice colors and he had some white stuff too. What more could anyone want? Yet Diana had a face of grave disapproval when she first explored his wardrobe and he knew that there was no way he could talk her out of doing whatever she got her mind on, so he found another way. They had a bet; a bet Bruce thought there was no way to lose, but…he miscalculated the infamous 'womanly instinct'.

When Shayera got pregnant, everyone around the League rejoiced. Those who hadn't time-travelled to that future, had been betting on the baby's gender. Bruce and John had seen the boy, though, by the name of War Hawk back then, so they knew. One day, though, when they were strolling around the Manor's garden, Diana said that John's and Shayera's firstborn would be a girl. Bruce was quite confused at the statement, since she had travelled with them, and she had seen their son, so they placed a bet on the baby's gender too. If Diana lost, she would never mention his wardrobe choices again. If Bruce lost, she would have total liberty over his clothes and take him to a shopping trip right away. Naturally, Bruce was confident about his win. Diana wouldn't lose so easily, though, especially when she had such a strong feeling about it and went to Shayera immediately, convincing her and her husband not to say a word about the definite sex of their baby when they found through an ultrasound. The last months of the pregnancy flew by. Diana had redecorated some rooms of the Manor with Alfred's assistance, but still wasn't able to lay a hand on Bruce's clothes. The day she would, though, was closing in and she knew it.

Shayera's screams were loud, echoing almost everywhere around the base; her water broke and so, soon, they were all waiting impatiently outside the labor room, for the doctor to say if the baby is healthy, and what it is. The doors finally opened and John came outside, grinning widely. _"They_'re healthy!" John said and everyone's eyes widened. "Yes, they're twins! A boy and a girl." Bruce swallowed nervously upon hearing it.

"And who came first?" Diana asked.

John gave her a good look. "Our daughter!"

Diana laughed loudly and turned to face a sullen Bruce, not knowing how to admit such a defeat. And so, he was practically dragged to the shopping mall, aware that his outfits were never going to be the same.

Not many minutes had passed when Diana came to join him by the queue, her embrace filled with clothes of many colors and patterns. "Here." She said, handing him the clothes. "These are just some basics you need. We will buy some things more eccentric in the future."

"These are only the basics?!"

"Of course!"

"Oh, boy…" Bruce whispered.

"Look. I think you should first try on the trousers. I've gotten you some pairs of jeans, some grey pants, some beige ones… Then you can go for the shirts. Try one of each kind, because I've picked the same shirts here and there, but in different colors, so we only need to see if the size is right. And finally, you'll try on the jackets and we're done."

"Oh, only so much?" Bruce said ironically. "I'm disappointed."

Diana arched an eyebrow. "You think this is the only shop we're visiting? How naïve."

Bruce remained silent and entered the vacant fitting room. Diana stood outside. He couldn't understand why they hadn't booked an appointment with his tailor to get some new shirts and get this over with, but he guessed Diana wanted the whole shopping experience. He had a lot to learn about women yet.

Normally, he wouldn't allow himself to get dragged to a shopping mall so easily, but something about Diana in his life had helped him relax a bit. Diana had been very persistent over the matter and, well, he had lost the bet and he wouldn't go back on his word now.

Garment after garment, he opened the fitting room door to let Diana see him. They approved of all the shirts and the jackets, and most of the trousers. He was, to be honest with himself, somewhat amazed at how easily she picked out the correct sizes. They paid for the clothes and exited the shop.

"Are we done?" He asked.

"I told you, no. Here." She replied and entered a shop with suits and tuxedos.

"Diana, I have plenty of tuxedos."

"You have plenty of plain tuxedos. We're here to get you something a bit more…stylish. You need some color."

"Aren't you colorful enough for the both of us?"

"Oh, stop it."

Bruce didn't even realize how he ended up buying three new tuxedos, one in a silky grey-anthrax color, one in dark blue and one in burgundy. They had some patterns too, that Diana knew the names of, but he didn't bother with remembering them.

They visited another three to five-Bruce lost count after some time- shops and Diana loaded him with more and more bags as they went on, up to the point were he wondered where they were going to fit so many new clothes and hangers. She saved the best for last, though, as she casually went into an underwear shop.

"Your underwear is fine," Diana clarified when they entered, "but I just thought we could buy some more or, you know, browse the store for a bit…"

"Oh, we can't possibly leave this shop without buying something to reward your hard work today…" Bruce said, half-smiling slyly at her.

"I wouldn't say no, even though I don't need anything for coloring your wardrobe a bit… It was a pleasure."

"Go now. I will get your present."

Diana shrugged and headed for the men's section, while Bruce picked a lacy black corset, with a matching bra and panties, paid for them and waited for her at the exit. She joined him some minutes later, holding two bags.

"I got some new pajamas for you." Diana said. "I almost forgot about them. Luckily the shop assistants reminded me."

"When you shop with a golden credit card, they tend to remind you of a lot of things you need to buy…"

"Well… Bruce, I'd like to visit just another shop, maybe, for some accessories, but if you're too tired we can go home now."

Bruce shrugged. "Let's go. I've survived this far…"

Diana was pleasantly surprised to see that Bruce, who she insisted in joining her in browsing the store, pointed out items that weren't only black or grey, and she hoped that somewhere along their shopping trip, he had gotten used to the idea that some color is nice, after all. They bought some scarves and a new watch and left the shopping mall in high spirits; Diana because she could finally see Bruce in nice, bright clothes and Bruce because he couldn't wait to see Diana in something black and revealing.

OOO-OOO-OOO—OOO-OOO-OOO

Diana lazily got up, letting the silk sheets slide over her naked shoulders. She grabbed her black robe from the floor and put it on, tying its silky ribbon up. She also gathered her new lingerie from the floor and walked silently towards the wide wardrobe right in front of the master bedroom's bed. She opened its doors and smiled with content upon seeing splashes of color among the black zones that used to dominate the closet. She closed the doors again and headed for her own wardrobe on the wall on the right. She folded her new underwear, placed them in their drawer and closed the doors too.

"You can't seem to get enough of the closet." She heard Bruce say and turned around. He had sat up and folded his hands behind his head.

"It's such a pleasant change." Diana said. "Time to get rid of all these black jackets! They were all practically identical." Bruce shrugged. "Have you considered donating them to charity?"

"Not until now."

"It's a nice move. I can give some of my old clothes too." She proposed, approaching the bed.

"Sure…"

"Alfred will contact the homeless shelter for the donations…" She said, making clear that donations were the last thing she had on her mind as it was. She climbed on the bed, crawling just a bit, before Bruce pushed the sheet off himself and lunged at her, claiming her lips and hastily untying her robe.

***A light chapter, just to get started with it! I've planned some way more romantic things up ahead, and more important days too. Stay tuned!**

**I'd also like to apologize for any typos-mistakes. Finding a trustworthy and quick beta is not easy! I usually avoid it, just to be able to post the new chapters more quickly, so sorry if anything slipped my attention!***


	2. Chapter 2

***A/N: Thanks for the positive feedback! I hope I'm updating quickly enough. I don't have much to say on the chapter, I just hope you like it. As always, please leave me a small review. Thanks!***

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Yes, they're all certainly captured." Diana told Bruce.

From her left side, Barry nodded. "It wasn't that big of a fuss. A bit of swooping here, sweeping there, wooshing all over the place and we were done!"

"This is the fourth attempt in reviving the Legion of Doom this year." Batman commented as they walked along the Base's corridors. "Luckily our rapid interventions have ceased its resurfacing."

"This new patrolling system seems to be working all right." The Flash said. "Good thing more and more heroes are willing to help, 'cause let's face it, no matter how quick I may be, I can't really be everywhere."

"You're more suited for the action field, not the investigation and not the stake-outs." Batman said. "We wouldn't base the patrolling on you."

"Bitter, Bats, as always." Barry said, half-smiling. "I'm perfect for everything!"

"So, how is your new romance going along?" Diana asked, turning to the speedster.

"Woo-hoo-hoo!" Barry exclaimed. "It's explosive, baby. Ex-plo-sive!"

Diana grinned at him. "Good to know."

"So, what do you have on your schedules now? I am to report at Metropolis… What a bore."

"I'm in for some new recruits' training." Wonder Woman said.

"Wonder Woman, can I have a word?" Batman said and they exchanged a hasty but meaningful look.

"So, I'll get going. Catch ya later, folks!" Barry said and started running the way the came, while Bruce and Diana walked a bit further, passing from the Leaguers' chambers. Barry would have reached the teleporters by then, if he hadn't slowed down on purpose. He wasn't the one for noticing things, Batman was right, but, strangely, he hadn't missed the peculiar look shared between the brooding nocturnal hero and the Amazon princess. And so he found himself itching to find out what was that about, because he was curious by nature and being discrete was certainly not one of his traits. He turned back and ran behind them, coming to a halt just behind the point the corridors made a turn. He could see them if he popped his head a little and with a little luck, they wouldn't see him. Thinking that his bright red suit might be a problem, he pressed the center of his chest, entering camouflage mode and his suit turned a dark shade of grey. He slowly popped his head and watched. They were standing out of Diana's chambers-which, if he came to think about, had been vacant an awful lot recently- and talked. Bruce had his back to him. He could only hear very few words here and there, so he needed to settle for body language.

"So, what is it?" Diana asked, once they were out of her chambers.

"For how long are you on duty today?"

"I thought you would have memorized my schedule by now…" She said, grinning a bit and putting her hair behind her ear.

"Tell me."

"For another four hours if nothing comes up. Otherwise you know, it's up until I'm done." She said, placing her hands on her hips.

Bruce nodded. "I had the night shift so I'll be leaving now. Don't forget the-"

"Oh, Bruce. Don't tell me not to forget the thing I've been reminding you for the past three days."

"Fine. I'll see you at the Manor."

Diana turned her head left to check the corridors and then right. Barry's reflexes were unnaturally quick too, so he managed to stick to the wall before Diana turned to look his way. She saw no one and almost jumped on Bruce, wrapping her hands around his neck and stealing a hasty but passionate kiss. Barry managed to take a small glimpse and his jaw dropped. She stopped kissing him after two or three seconds and wiped her lips, laughing.

"Diana, you must be more careful." Bruce said, looking around as well. Barry stuck to wall again, until Batman had stopped checking.

"I really don't get why we must be so secretive about it… You know, they will find out sooner or later."

"The later the better."

Diana shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I'll go get changed now. See you home." Bruce nodded and left the way they had originally walked to. Diana entered her chambers. Barry ran to the teleporters, heating up a bit, but grinning goofily. He had _the _hottest piece of gossip the League had probably heard in a year. He wanted to scream it out but thought that he should probably keep it to his own…Or not.

He used the teleporter and was transferred to the Little Bohemia Police Station of Metropolis. The Station was crowded as always but he spotted John Stewart quickly.

"Hey, Lantern!" He greeted ecstatically. John arched an eyebrow. Barry was being unusually hyper, even for his own standards.

"Hey…"

"I'm here to report for duty!"

"Dealt with the other call?"

"Yeah! Fire, Power Girl, _Wonder Woman _and I beat them alright!"

"Good…" He said, squinting his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Oh-ho-ho, yeah!"

"You sure?"

Barry almost squealed. "Yeah!" He said in high-pitched voice.

"Too much coffee, eh?"

"Nu-uh!"

"Then?"

"I-I learnt something and-and-and I don't know if I should tell you but I-uuuh- I want to so much!"

"If you're going to act like a child on sugar rush, then you'd better tell me and calm down. I can't have you like that on the prison check."

"Guess who are an item now…" He giggled.

"Who?"

"Mister I-will-never-have-a-happy-day-in-my-life and Miss I-am-supposed-to-be-a-sworn-manhater."

"Bruce and Diana?!"

"Oh, yeah! Finally!"

"I can't say I didn't see it coming, but… they really went for it. Hm. For how long has this been going on?"

"I don't know. They could be tying the knot soon for all we know!"

"No, they can't be dating for that long."

"Oh, it's such a relief to be able to tell you!"

"How did you find out?"

"I saw them kissing."

"What?!"

"Diana initiated it, of course. Bruce seemed a bit tense. I bet he's the one wanting it to be a…secret."

"So you spied on them."

"I, um, no, I didn't say I 'spied' exactly…I just happened to randomly but cautiously stand behind them a little when they did it…"

"Yes, so, you spied."

"Whatever…"

"Okay, we need to get going now."

"What? No more comments? Nothing to say? Nada?"

"What do you want me to say? You know I don't like to gossip."

Flash sighed. "Fine. Whatever. I should have told Kara. She would have said something funny."

"Mm-hm." John nodded, as they walked to the exit.

"I bet Dick and Barbara and maybe Clark knew as well, but told us nothing!" Barry exclaimed.

"For a reason…"

Barry would have never imagined that his inability to keep a secret would lead into the whole League talking about it in less than an hour, as Captain Marvel, who had 'accidentally' eavesdropped their conversation, went around the Metropolis Police Stations and the Base humming 'Bruce and Diana sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage!'

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"I'm home!" Diana announced, entering the Manor.

"Welcome, Princess." Alfred greeted.

"Good evening, Alfred! Are the preparations complete?"

"Of course! We still have much time left, though."

"Yes, yes. I'll go shower now. I'll see you then."

Alfred bowed and Diana flew to the master bedroom, removing her suit and entering the luxurious bathroom. She needed a warm bath after brawling with the rookies.

She turned the faucet, letting the bathtub fill with hot water. She added some bathing salts and tested the temperature with her foot. It was perfect. Slowly, she slid inside, letting her head rest on the side of the marble tub and enjoying the feel of the frizzing salts. The bathroom door was opened and Bruce came inside, shutting it after he entered.

"You're home early." He said.

"I was done with the recruits sooner than I thought. J'onn let me leave earlier."

"I see." Bruce replied.

"So, will you join me or what?" Diana said, stroking her calf and looking at him. He half-smiled and quickly discarded his clothes, getting into the large bathtub too.

"You sure like it hot…" He commented.

"What's the meaning of a bath if it's not?" Diana rested her head back again and sighed blissfully. Bruce followed her example. "I have been getting some weird looks today."

"Mm, what?"

"I said, some people have been looking at me weirdly at the Base."

"Any reasons why?"

"I have no idea. After you left, I got changed and practiced. I checked my clothes, they had no holes or stains. My face was okay, I had nothing weird on me."

"It must have been your imagination."

"I hope so." Diana said, slowly running her foot up Bruce's leg.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Hey, baby." John said, entering his bedroom.

"Hi…" Shayera replied affectionately, breastfeeding their son.

"How are you?" He said, changing into his PJs.

"Tired a bit, but you know how it is…"

"I do." He said, kissing her on the forehead. He grinned a bit, feeling a strange urge to share with her what Flash had told him.

"What's with the goofy face?"

"I heard something today…"

"So?"

"Bruce and Diana are dating." He blurted out. Shayera laughed.

"It was time! Hahah! How long have they been doing the do?"

"I don't know. Flash kind of saw them kissing for a second or something."

"This is…nice!" She said, handing him the now-full baby and grabbing the phone. John cradled him a bit, before putting him into his crib. Shayera dialed a number.

"_Hey, girl!"_ Vixen said on the other end of the line.

"Hi!"

"_How's it going?"_

"Good. Guess what I learned!"

"_Is it the Batman and Wonder business news?"_

"Yes! How did you know?!"

"_Honey, the whole League is buzzing about it. The Shazam dude overheard your hubby and Flash talking and now I doubt there's a single person not having heard."_

"Damn! Impossible how gossip travels this fast…"

"_Gossip like that certainly does! I heard they're preparing something for the…couple."_

"They? Who?"

"_Some guys at the League. Flash, the Shazam one, Green Arrow and Black Canary… More, probably. If you want to take part, talk with Barry."_

"I'll pass."

"_Your call. Hey, I need to run now. Talk to you later?"_

"Sure thing."

"_Bye, sugar."_

"I won't pass!" John said. "Give me the phone. I'll call Flash."

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"After our entrees, then," Alfred said, approaching with a silver tray, "we move on to the main course. Wild boar, in orange, honey and mustard sauce, cooked with wine and roast potatoes." He left the tray on the dining table.

"Oh, Alfred, it looks amazing! Thank you!" Diana said, as the butler served their plates.

"The pleasure is all mine, Princess."

Alfred sat down with them, testing the meal.

"It's very nice, Alfred." Bruce said.

"Incredibly tasty!" Diana added.

"Thank you."

"Let's have a toast." Diana proposed, lifting her wine glass. Bruce and Alfred followed her. "To our precious Alfred. Happy birthday! Many returns of the day!" They toasted and took a sip of their red wine.

"I'm glad you could join me in this birthday dinner." Alfred said.

"Of course we'd come!" Diana said. "You didn't go in all this trouble to prepare this for us not to show up."

"I appreciate it, my lady. I do understand that your lives as superheroes are hectic, so I must be thankful for whatever hour you spend with me."

"Of course, what kind of birthday would it be without presents?"

"Oh, my lady, you shouldn't have!"

"Of course I should!" Diana insisted. "You will find my gift at the library. I got you the whole collection of Agatha Christie's novels in a rare, leather-bound edition. I believe they are among your favorites, right?"

"Indeed they are. Thank you! I will read them right away, I assure you."

"Bruce got you something too…" Diana said, turning to look at him. Bruce simply slid a piece of paper towards Alfred.

"Master?" Alfred asked.

"It's nothing." Bruce said. "Just to refurnish the kitchen with everything you like."

"A check?" Diana asked and Bruce nodded. "Incorrigible."

Alfred took the check. "I am most thankful, sir. I truly am." He had a sly grin on his face.

"What is it, Alfred?"

"The dinner looks very nice and you're both dressed nicely too. It'd be a shame not to capture this moment, sir." Bruce rolled his eyes but Alfred insisted. "Let me grab the camera."

Alfred rushed to the sitting room, where he took his camera and returned. "Please, come closer." He instructed. Diana scooted her chair closer to Bruce's and they held hands on the table. Alfred smiled as he pressed the button and took the photograph. The same moment he turned the camera off, some bright green lights shone over the windows, as they swung open and to their utter surprise, dozens of Leaguers stormed inside the Manor. Diana laughed but Bruce frowned deeply.

"Hope we're not disturbing anything…" John Stewart said, hovering.

"What are you doing here?" Diana asked, examining the crowd. She spotted Black Canary, Flash, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, Booster Gold, Hawk and Dove, Supergirl, Fire, Static, Hal Jordan and many others as well.

"We came to see for ourselves," Green Arrow replied, "if the rumors for you two were true."

"Apparently they are." Black Canary said, winking at Wonder Woman.

"Well, indeed they are!" Diana announced. "There's no point in hiding behind our finger, right?" She placed her palm over Bruce's and turned to see him glaring at Flash, who had a silly grin on his face.

Alfred was peculiarly happy to have so many unexpected guests on his birthday, so he soon proceeded with inviting everyone to join, since he had plenty of food to serve them all. He insisted, though, that they took a photo, so all the new Leaguers came to stand behind the seated-like-before Diana and Bruce, who had turned his gaze on his plate, feeling extremely awkward. Yet his colleagues were happy for this new true gossip and the evening went extremely better than what they expected, with many teases, even though they all avoided speaking with the red-faced Bruce.

Alfred printed the photos on the next day and was quick in placing them in his personal album. He found immense joy in watching his last photo. Diana and Bruce, sitting very much like Martha and Thomas once, holding hands over the table, looked in love. Or at least anyone could say they looked judging from Diana, who smiled at the camera, as Bruce was staring at his meal. Behind them stood approximately twenty five Leaguers, all laughing and smiling at the camera and at the couple. Pure curiosity had led them to 'break into' the Manor, but happiness for their friends was all Alfred could see in their faces and he was thankful that so many people cared for his master, even just for the sake of a gossip.

***And here is how the League found out! Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading!***


	3. Chapter 3

***A/N: I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I do plan to keep the tone light and have some fun, that was my whole purpose. Shout-out to the guy/gal who pointed out that I should file it under WW and BM. I had added them when I created the story, I don't know what went wrong with it and got removed. Thanks for letting me know! Thanks for reading!***

**CHAPTER THREE**

Diana had her car window down and her hand outside, enjoying the breeze of the ride. Her vintage shades shielded her eyes from the wind and she could watch the scenery all she liked. They were driving very near the cliff, but sea was almost all they saw; perfectly calm and deep, touching the cloudless sky at the end of the horizon. The road was paved with some wild and rough plants with only few flowers here and there, typical of the Greek nature. Alfred, from the backseat, nearly abused his new camera, taking photos of the scenery every few meters, amazed with almost everything. In truth, he was extremely excited for the trip and its purpose.

Bruce sped on the gas pedal with caution, as the roads were very narrow and it was the first time he had ever travelled on this route. During the two years he had been with Diana, they had travelled five times to Greece, whenever their jobs allowed them to. They chose remote destinations, and not those that the majority of tourists traditionally visited, and Bruce found himself very attracted to the place. Something about the harsh and rocky landscapes, almost always framed by the sea, and the small, lonely villages that decorated the mountains called out to the very depths of his self. He felt oddly tranquil when they were there and Diana loved the land to no extent, so their decision to buy a cottage house there came soon. Alfred, who had accompanied them in three of the five trips, was quite happy when they announced their decision and promised to help them all he could with the new house.

They had contacted several real estate agents and finally found a newly-built house near a village in Thessaly. Most of them, seeing the amount they were willing to spend, directed them to expensive houses in the islands, or even private islands, but that was not what they wanted. Luckily, they seemed to have finally found what they were looking for and booked an appointment with the agent to visit the house. If they agreed in buying it, the matter would be dealt with much discretion, just because of the names involved in it. 'Wayne' wasn't a name easily tossed around anywhere.

Diana lowly hummed to the radio songs and Bruce struggled with trying to get used to the local music and lyrics. Alfred simply took photos. "We should be there in a quarter." Bruce said, taking a look at the GPS screen.

"If we do like the house, we should close the deal quickly and head to the sea!" Diana said.

"We're on the mountain, my lady." Alfred pointed out.

"Big deal. If Bruce drives with his average speed, or I fly us there, it won't take more than then minutes. The house might be on a mountainside, but it very near the sea too. Two in one. I've longed for a swim."

"Let's go check the house and we'll see about the swim." Bruce said and Diana smiled, knowing that she could easily turn a 'we'll see' into a definite yes.

The final minutes went by in silence, until they entered a picturesque village. The road drove right through it. They passed several small squares, a church, a history museum, a school and many small houses. Alfred also spotted a 'rooms-to-let' place as well. Not two minutes later, they exited the village and turned left on a small road and Diana pointed out of her window.

"There's the house!" She said and they all turned to where she pointed-Bruce momentarily, as he needed to keep his eyes on the road. The house was, indeed, very big and, even from the outside looked luxurious. It was three-stories tall, with wide balconies, a swimming pool, a helicopterlanding place, a spacious garage and a fireplace too. Bruce parked and they got out of the car. Diana and Alfred both put on their sunhats and followed Bruce up the entrance stairs. The real estate agent came to welcome them.

"Hello, Mister Wayne, Miss Prince!" He greeted. From their previous contact, his knowledge of English was good and his pronunciation understandable. "Hello, sir." He said, seeing Alfred.

"Would you like to speak in Greek?" Diana asked kindly. "Both me and Bruce are familiar with the language."

"No need, thank you!" The agent refused. "Now, please, follow me inside. As you see, the house has an amazing view."

"Yes, yes." Diana said.

"And just because it is up the mountainside, no matter what is built on the land in front of this one, it won't block your view, although I doubt anyone will come and build here."

"Who built this one?" Alfred asked.

"A man from the next village. He made lots of money and built this house, but he unfortunately passed away before he could enjoy it. His children wanted to sell it and we were surprised we found people from abroad interested in it. They usually look for something in the islands." He unlocked the front door and let them inside the main floor. It was paved in nice marble tiles. The windows had new, aluminum frames and thick glasses. They followed him around the rest of the house. It had two kitchens, around six bedrooms, many bathrooms, office rooms and spaces for leisure activities furniture. Bruce also found a room perfect for placing a Bat-Computer for any urgent instances, at the basement.

"Sir, my lady," Alfred told them, "I need to ask the agent some things on the house. You can go take a look around, I don't wish to bore you with technical details."

"What things, Alfred?" Bruce asked.

"Some things on the plumbing, the cables, the bathrooms… Don't worry, I'm just making sure everything with the house is perfect before you proceed in buying it, sir."

Bruce nodded and Alfred left them. "Good thing he's here." Diana said. "I would have forgotten all these things!"

"He knows what he's doing."

"I got so excited with the rooms and the house that I totally forgot about the rest of the house details…"

"He's got it under control." Bruce reassured her and turned to see Alfred bombarding the agent with questions on the fireplace chimney, the sewage, the garden options and the faucets around the house.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Just a few more papers to sign and it will be officially ours!" Diana said happily, going into the car again.

"He seemed certain that the procedure can be done while you're home…" Alfred said.

"I will make the money transaction as soon as we're back." Bruce said. "After that it's just some signatures and that's it."

"Alfred, did you get the-"

"I got everything, Princess, don't you worry."

Diana nodded happily and inhaled the scent of the sunscreen that filled the car. Just a few minutes later, they arrived at the beach. Bruce had a little trouble with parking the car at the sandy roads but they were soon out of it and walking to the sea-shore. Diana listened at the sound of their flip-flops and smiled to herself. It was nice, having a little summertime to themselves.

After picking a spot at the beach, Diana unfolded their summer chairs and Bruce tried to stabilize their umbrella. Alfred patiently carried three bags, filled with books, lotions, clothes, balls, hats and all kinds of things. Bruce brought a small cooler, filled with water bottles and juice boxes in ice cubes. Diana shook her head; they definitely didn't know how to take summer a bit more lightly.

"What?" Bruce asked, seeing her judging look.

"Do you honestly think we're going to drink all these?"

"Diana, a heatstroke is not a joke."

She rolled her eyes. "We're here to swim! We're not going to stay under the sun forever."

Bruce didn't reply, simply removed his shirt and Alfred handed him the sunscreen. He rubbed some on his chest and Diana helped him with applying it on his ribbed back as well. She took her sundress off and was ready to dive. She had applied the lotion from before. They didn't bother with inviting Alfred in; they knew he needed his time to get accustomed to the sea and swimming wasn't his favorite activity. So they left him under the umbrella's shadow, with a crossword magazine in hand and went for the sea. Diana and Bruce exchanged a playful look and nodded, before they both sprinted to the water and dived inside.

Diana absolutely loved the way the water felt around her. It was cold, but not freezing. Simply refreshing. The air bubbles tickled her skin and she gave a strong push with her legs, feeling her hair flowing freely around her. When she took her head out of the water, she saw Bruce just a meter in front, passing his fingers through his wet hair.

"Let's get going." Diana said and they started swimming to deeper waters. Physically fit as they were, they swam fiercely and quickly, with long lunges, taking quick and small breaths when they drew their heads out. When they reached a cold stream of water, they stopped and caught their breaths.

Diana looked around. The beach and the people seemed like dots from that far. She couldn't see the bottom of the sea either, only a very dark shade of blue beneath her feet. The sunrays sparkled on the barely-there waves, making small flashes of light appear here and there on the surface.

"This is nice…" She mumbled.

"Indeed." Bruce said, coming behind her and wrapping his hands around her waist. She turned her head around and planted a kiss on his wet neck.

"Are you happy? With the house?" Diana asked.

"I'm happy with everything." Bruce replied, moving his hand downwards and taking her in his arms assisted by the sea, even though he could easily pick her up like that on land as well. Diana wrapped her hands around him now and shifted her look between his eyes and lips, finally claiming the latter.

Alfred put his magazine down. He calmly took a pair of binoculars out of his bag, removed his sunglasses and saw through them with one hand, sipping some juice from a small box in his other hand. He spotted them quite far away, entwined in an embrace. He smiled to himself, never ceasing being happily surprised each time he saw Bruce carefree like that, and put the binoculars down, returning to his crossword.

***A short chapter, only because I want write something more on the cottage house, so I decided to split it into two parts. I hope you liked it, a better one is coming up next, filled with WonderBat!***


	4. Chapter 4

***A/N: I hope this will be a chapter you'll like just as much as I did writing it! Thanks for reading so far and please, don't forget to leave me a review!***

**CHAPTER FOUR**

One thing good about Alfred was the fact that Bruce didn't have to tell him things; he usually figured them out by himself, he could read him easily, and so, most of the times, he knew how to act depending on what Bruce wanted to do, without him actually needing to instruct him on anything. That night was no exception, as Alfred had 'coincidentally' wanted to work on the back garden, since the sun was setting and 'it was _the perfect _time to water the plants and tend them'.  
It had been about a year since they had bought the cottage and now it was all furnished throughout. They kept it simple, not putting in too exquisite pieces of furniture, but nice and classy nonetheless. Bruce had cared for the technological equipment of the house personally, wiring the new communication system, connecting with the League satellite and other things, that neither Diana nor Alfred bothered to get busy with. He had set up a smaller replica of the Bat Cave's computer on the room he had selected within the first month of the purchase, not wanting to stay away from the world's villains, not even when on vacation.

The house grounds, though on a rocky mountain, were modeled in creating several levels of gardens, with the back ones being the biggest. Since they couldn't leave the Bat Jet out, on the helicopter carrier, they soon began the creation of an 'under-garden' place for the Jet. A lifted-open crypt door was out of the question, since Alfred had all kinds of plans for the garden there and a reclining level emerging in the middle of it every now and then would certainly ruin whatever was above it. So they went for a platform which would move upwards horizontally, along with the 'parking spot' of the Jet. Bruce would land the Jet underneath the platform and with the push of a button, the whole construction would move underground again, replacing the garden area that was lifted up and whatever was put on it intact. Alfred was okay with the idea and, under total secrecy, the work was complete within a month.

It was summer, and one of those days when the temperature was perfect. It was warm, yes, but not hot. It had a light, enjoyable breeze, but it wasn't too windy. It was ideal. Bruce and Diana had managed to steal three days off to visit their cottage, after being persuaded by Cassie and Dick that everything at the League was under control and they deserved some days to relax after working tirelessly throughout the whole winter. Alfred was once again worried about leaving Dick behind on his own at the Manor, but the young man managed to keep it tidy, no matter what he did when they were gone. Barbara helped put him under control and she was Alfred's greatest relief, for when they needed to go. He knew she could handle Dick and the house.

"Here." Bruce said, handing Diana a glass and taking a seat by her at the upper balcony. Diana sniffed the beverage.

"Mastic!"

Bruce nodded. "It's mastic liqueur. Alfred must have bought it."

"Cheers." Diana said, lifting her glass and they hit their glasses lightly, as the Greek tradition instructed, taking a sip afterwards. "It's nice." Diana commented, licking her lips clean.

"Yes…"

Several seconds went by, as the looked at the beautiful sunset.

"It kind of reminds me," Bruce said, clenching his fist over the glass, "of that day I came to find you in Themyscira."

Diana nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

"Are you glad I did?"

Diana frowned and looked at him confused. "What do you mean, Bruce?"

"If I hadn't followed you, you would probably be with someone else by now, leading a different life. But are you happy with how things turned out after I chased you?"

"What are all these doubts about my happiness all of the sudden?"

"I just want to know. Honestly. Are you happy, Diana? Truly happy?"

Diana huffed. "You're being silly. Of course I am. Have I shown you that I am not?"

"No."

"Then don't doubt it. Bruce." She said, turning to him and taking his free hand in hers, wanting to settle this once and for all. "You were the one I wanted from the very beginning and I got you now. I have everything, literally, and, honestly, not the house, not the Manor, not the jewels, not the clothes, not anything is what I want more. Nothing of that matters, because _you _are the only thing I desire the most. You, with everything that includes; your unusual habits, your mood swings, your peculiar sense of humor, your opinions, your likes and dislikes, your everything. I wouldn't change what we have for anything or anyone in the universe. Do you believe me?" Bruce simply took her hands in his and kissed them tenderly. "Then don't ever doubt that I'm happy again. If I have you, even if I have nothing else, I will still be."

Bruce heard her short monologue attentively. A warm, fuzzy feeling inside him made him feel quite uneasy; he still hadn't got used to it, even after three years. Yet, her words didn't make him feel any less nervous, but he hoped he concealed it successfully.

He dragged her to him and she came to sit on his lap. He cradled her closely. "Are you happy?" Diana asked, since the subject had gotten down to it.

"More than any man could ever ask to be."

"I'm glad."

"You're the most precious thing I've got. My treasure."

"And to think you had rejected me when I tried to give myself to you…"

"I told you it was a big mistake. Don't make me go over it again, please."

"I won't. It doesn't matter now."

"Yes, it doesn't."

Diana remained silent, sipping the remainder of her drink and rubbing circles on his chest. Bruce stroked her arm and sighed lowly. "I've been thinking…" Bruce said.

"About?" Diana asked, slightly alarmed by all his new concerns. It wasn't like him to commence many talks, but she guessed a good summer day can work miracles on anyone.

Bruce shrugged a bit. "The future, mostly."

"And what worries you?"

"Nothing. I said I was thinking, not worrying."

"Okay, my love. What exactly did you think about?"

"I told you, the future."

"What about the future, Bruce?" Diana asked, slightly frustrated. "Intergalactic communications? The progress of economy? The ecological destruction? What aspect of the future?"

Bruce finished his drink with just a quick sip, letting the drink burn his throat a bit and untie his tongue. "Us." He blurted out, regretting it immediately for some reason, even though he had rehearsed what he was going to say dozens of times.

"Oh. And what about us in the future? What kind of thoughts have you had?"

Bruce shrugged. "All kinds of thoughts. How do you see us in…a ten years' time, Diana?"

"Hm." Diana pondered for a moment. "Considering everything went well, we would still be living at the Manor. Dick might have moved out, with a girl maybe, who knows." Bruce thought that that wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he listened to her carefully. "We, um, we…"

"Yes?"

Diana felt her cheeks heat up. She didn't know if what she wanted to say would make him feel uncomfortable or not, but she decided that she shouldn't keep anything from Bruce, and spoke her mind. "We would have a child, maybe." Leaning on his chest as she was, she heard his heartbeat speed up.

Bruce subconsciously smiled. So she did see them as a complete family. That was good. It was a..'go'.

Bruce had spent three restless weeks, as his mind was going over the same thing again and again, never giving it up. Ever since that thought crept inside his thoughts, there was no way he could cast it away. He had been wondering where his life was heading to. Living with Diana for three years had definitely changed his perspective on many things, and the thought of a family with her didn't seem that repulsive at all. Not that they weren't a family already; she did act like a lady of the Manor, and she had been by Dick's and Barbara's side like a mother. Bruce also knew that they were completely devoted to each other, but the only thing that was missing was…something to make it a bit more official. It would solve many legal problems too, should anything come up.

"Yes, why not?" Bruce said. Diana almost sighed in relief.

"It'd be nice when the time comes."

"So, Diana." Bruce said decisively. "I love you."

"And I love you too." She said, turning his head a bit upwards, to meet his eyes. Could he really…?

"Do you want to spend your life with me, then?" Bruce asked, feeling his heart racing. Was he really doing this? Was he ready? All similar questions vanished, though, upon hearing her answer and having every fiber of his being rejoicing over it.

"Yes, yes, of course." She felt Bruce's hand shuffle in his pocket.

"Then there's only one thing left to ask." And so Diana saw the small, burgundy velvet box open before her and a stunning, platinum ring with a big diamond and two rubies framing it shone inside. "Diana, do you wish to become my wife?"

Diana lost her words for a moment. She hadn't expected something like that to happen-she couldn't say she thought it necessary either- but Bruce must have had his reasons. And truth was, she did want to spend her lifetime with him and being his wife would be…suiting. "Yes, I do." She finally said.

Bruce, from behind her, smiled genuinely, taking the ring out and placing it on her right index finger. "And so you are, as of now, Diana, Princess of Themyscira, fiancée to Bruce Wayne." They had indeed, taken the big step.

Diana fell on his chest again, flooding with all kinds of warm and exciting, affectionate feelings. "Thank you." She mumbled.

"I must thank you, for agreeing to grow old with me."

"I wouldn't like to grow old in any other way."

"You will grow old, right?" Bruce asked, remembering that Amazons were supposed to be immortal and he would absolutely hate it to be withering while she remained as beautiful and youthful as ever.

"Yes, Bruce." Diana replied, guessing his thoughts. "I revoked my immortality the moment I left Themyscira to defend the world of man."

"Although I'm not glad you get to die, I am glad to get to see your hair turn white, some day…"

Diana grinned and giggled a bit. She felt happy and blessed. Bruce wanted them to be together till the end of their days and, honestly, that was all Diana could ever wish for her personal life; him. "It's a very beautiful ring." She commented, not knowing what else to say.

"It…It was my mother's engagement ring."

"Oh, Bruce… You shouldn't have…"

"I wanted to. I bet she would want you to have it too."

Diana lifted her torso upwards, locking eyes with him. He had one of the happiest looks she had ever seen on his face. They were officially belonging to each other now.

Bruce gave her a light peck and lifted her up in his arms, practically running to their bedroom, for some post-proposal celebration.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

Diana left Bruce to his calm sleep, silently getting out of bed, putting her nightgown on and heading to the kitchen. The sun had just risen, so she guessed it was pretty early. Alfred, predictably, was up already, drinking his tea over the oven. He was baking something.

"Good morning, Alfred." She greeted, taking a seat by the table, entwining her fingers over the table surface.

"Hello, Princess Diana." He replied, turning to her and placing his cup on a kitchen counter. The exquisite ring caught his fancy immediately and he couldn't contain a wide grin. "I suppose you have something to announce?"

"You suppose correctly." She said, with a playful smile. "Bruce and I are now…engaged."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Alfred exclaimed and bent down to share a hug with Diana and kiss both of her cheeks. It had been long ago since he last thought such a gesture was a little inappropriate for the lady of the Manor, as he now saw Diana as his friend, and she did so as well. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you!"

"Oh, my! We will need to start the preparations!"

"We are in no hurry, Alfred."

"When are you thinking of having the wedding, then?"

Diana shrugged. "Maybe next spring?"

"Okay. We have several months ahead of us. That is good."

"Calm down, my friend."

"Pardon me, Princess. It's just my excitement."

Diana grinned at him. "I understand." A captivating scent filled her nostrils. "What's in your oven?"

"Some sort of milk-pie. _Galatopita_, I figured they call it. I got the recipe from a lady I met in Larisa."

"It certainly smells fantastic…"

"Thank you! Oh, forgive me, Princess, I completely forgot about your breakfast!" Alfred almost squealed, turning to grab a dish and prepare her usual breakfast.

"No problem, Alfred. Don't worry."

"And where are you thinking of having the ceremony?" Alfred went on, grabbing bread and honey.

"I have absolutely no idea. We haven't discussed such details with Bruce yet."

"I see." Alfred turned to look at her again momentarily. "If my memory isn't failing me, I'd say this is Lady Martha's ring. Am I right?"

"Yes."

Alfred had noticed that Bruce had been searching around his mother's things lately and that something had been bothering him. When he saw him last night, he immediately understood that he would want to spend the night with Diana alone, and so Alfred was quick in finding something to engage himself until they secluded themselves in the bedroom. He hoped he would propose, but tried not to hope too much, in case he was just seeing things out of his excitement, because if he wanted one thing, that was to see Bruce as a groom. Then, he thought, he could die happy.

"It is a masterpiece, that ring." Alfred commented. "Sir Thomas Wayne had it specifically ordered for Martha. He wanted, he had told me, a classic diamond and two small rubies, as red was the Lady's favorite color. Platinum as the metal base, of course. Its craftsmanship is unparalleled, if you take a closer look, Princess. Mr. Parks, who made it, has passed away now and no rings like this are made anymore." He served her the breakfast dish and sat down too.

"I thought it must have been unique." Diana said. "I was surprised when he told me it was his mother's, to be frank."

"He was quite attached to her when he was little, I assume you know that."

"Yes, yes, I do."

"Well, now, let's not dwell in the past! The ring is worn on new fingers now, ready to accompany another bright, beautiful woman into the Wayne family." Diana smiled widely and then took a bite from her meal. "Have you thought of your bridesmaids?" Alfred asked, not being able to keep away from the subject.

"I have some ladies in mind…"

***Here it is, then! How did you find it? Leave me a small review below! Thanks for reading!***


	5. Chapter 5

***A/N: Hello, my dear readers. Thanks, firstly, for all your positive feedback. Your reviews and your follows/favs mean the world to me! I'd like to say, secondly, that I will be going on a trip to London tomorrow, which means that I won't be updating for the next eight days or so. I will write more chapters as soon as I get back!**

**PS.: I couldn't pick a location, so the island mentioned underneath is of my creation.***

**CHAPTER FIVE**

As the days of May were soon coming to their end, Alfred's stress was coming to its peak. Although very few things were actually on him to do, he couldn't but feel responsible for everything. Bruce, Diana, the bridesmaids and the best men were all very much involved in everything to be ready for the wedding, but Alfred had a say in everything, out of his need for the ceremony to reach perfection.

They had chosen a small island near Themyscira as the wedding's location. It had the typical Aegean beauty they wanted, along with a nice five-star hotel, in which Bruce booked rooms for all the guests. The ceremony would take place at a small hill-like height, very near the island's coastline, with an amazing view at the sea and would contain aspects of a typical and a Greek marriage. As the tradition instructed, they had to give a small packet of a type of hard candies, nicely decorated, to the guests after the ceremony had ended. Alfred couldn't pronounce the word they were called, but had accompanied Diana along with Lois Lane to pick a design they liked. They agreed on a small, porcelain jar, which would contain the candy, wrapped at the top with a nice ecru ribbon with a golden lining. After the candy was consumed, the guests could keep the jar. That design was one of the most expensive in the store, but a Wayne soon-to-be groom would spare no expense for his wedding.

The classy, luxurious invitations were sent two months in advance, so that the guests could settle their schedules and be there. Naturally, the invitations were one of the first things they crossed out of their lists and one of the very few Alfred wouldn't stress over anymore.

Although Alfred insisted to make the meals for the post-ceremonial reception or the wedding cake himself, reason prevailed, as the guests were too many for one person to cook for, and since Alfred wanted perfection, they needed to hire a professional. Alfred was the one, though, to pick the professional and have control over the three-course meal. Bruce and Diana let him handle the cake too, provided he would order one with many levels. Alfred had the perfect cake in mind and soon, the meals and the cake were ordered for the big day under his strict guidelines for the cooks and the baker.

Diana took Dinah and Shayera at the florist's with her, to settle the flower arrangements. The wedding arc would be decorated with roses and small daisies and the aisle, according to Dinah's suggestion, would be paved with bouquets of white hyacinths and daisies. The bridal bouquet was to be picked by the groom.

The hardest part of the preparations was, to Diana's relief, coming to its end. They had picked a nice tuxedo for Bruce, which was specifically tailored for him and would be delivered to the Manor some days before the wedding, but the wedding dress' fittings seemed to have no end. Diana went to one of the best studios in Gotham for her dress. They showed her several dresses and designs, but only after one-too-many bridal catalogues did she finally find the one she was looking for. And so the studio had it ordered for her to start the fittings.

The dress featured into one of Zuhair Murad's runways and, for Diana, it was love at first sight. She had a dress that would resemble an ancient Greek tunic in mind, but that dress was even better than what she had imagined. It was a long white dress of rich fabric. Its long drapes grazed the floor, starting from just below her waist. The torso and the short sleeves were embroidered with gold and metallic details, forming several circles and patterns around the torso. The white fabric cupped the breasts, followed by the embroidery and forming a deep line between them, that dived down. The studio's tailor's session's goal was to make the dress follow her body perfectly, while leaving the amazing design intact, so the work had to be done slowly. Diana had lost count of how many times she had gone there, but every time she did, the dress fitted her better and better. They picked out a delicate pair of golden high-heeled sandals to match it, and so the basic outfit was complete. She and Lois had shopped for jewels together, coming down to a nice, gold bracelet and a gold tiara with small brilliants for her hair-do.

Today was the last fitting. Diana was very excited, not only because she would finally have her dress ready, but because she wouldn't have to bear one of those fittings again. She wasn't alone, though, as the bridesmaids had accompanied her, to get their ready dresses too. The bridesmaids' dresses followed the Grecian style she wanted, but were a little shorter than knee-high and kept quite simple. They had a golden lining at their end, and a small, embroidered golden belt underneath the breast area.

"And you said you're buying them?" Dinah asked. "Not just renting them?"

"Of course." Diana replied, from her large podium. "You get to keep the dresses."

"Sweet!" Lois said, examining herself in the mirror. "They're quite posh."

"A style that's never out of fashion." Dinah added.

"I have told you how John has a thing about white clothes, uh?" Shayera said, smiling playfully. "Just don't be surprised if we get to leave a little earlier…"

"Oh, stop it!" Dinah said, giggling.

"You're going to bring the kids along?" Lois asked.

"Yes. They're not that little anymore. John's mother will keep an eye on them for the ceremony."

"How's John liking his best man's tux?" Diana asked, sucking her belly inside for the tailor to stitch something.

"He's a bit lukewarm about it, really. Says gray isn't his color but I say he looks fine."

"Clark's loving it, though." Lois said.

"That's good."

"Bet Barry's going to get his tux all wrinkled up before the wedding." Dinah said, entering her fitting room.

"Running and flying are strictly forbidden on the day." Diana said. "Bruce has notified his best men."

"He has, but will they keep it?" Shayera said. "They're not that easy to tame, girl."

Diana shrugged. "Truth is, I don't really care if their suits are wrinkled up or not. Alfred's going to be the one going hysterical if the photos aren't flawless."

"Damn these perfectionists, eh?" Lois said, entering her fitting room too.

"Oh, now that I mentioned it, Shayera can you get me my phone please?"

"Sure thing." Shayera handed her the cell phone and went to get changed as well. Diana dialed a number.

"_Hello, Princess."_ Alfred's voice came from the speaker.

"Hi, Alfred."

"_Are you done with your fitting?"_

"Almost. Have-"

"_Oh, great. The… the porcelain jars arrived just some minutes ago. I'm waiting for Master Bruce to take them to the jet. I hope you don't mind the boxes being in the entrance for a while."_

"I don't, Alfred. Now-"

"_Good. I need to go check on the cooks in two hours. I'm praying they won't mess up the desserts. I didn't order a mere panacotta, you see, Princess. They need skill to pull out the dessert I ordered."_

"Yes, Alfred, okay!" Diana said, rolling her eyes. "That's not what I wanted to ask."

"_Oh, please, tell me."_

"Is the photographer booked for the day?"

"_Of course, Diana. We have him booked from a month ago."_

"Perfect. Thank you."

"_Don't mention it! Now, if you don't mind, the Manor desires some of my attention too."_

"Yes, yes, go, of course."

"_We will speak later again, Princess."_

"Bye!" Diana said, hanging up.

"We're done, madam." The tailor said, passing a final needle through the end of the dress' skirt. "I will make these final modifications and send you your dress right away."

"Thank you, Michelle."

"My pleasure."

Diana went to her fitting room and very carefully removed the wedding dress, putting her own dress on. She handed the wedding dress to the tailor and the five of them left the studio.

"So, Diana…" Lois said when they exited the shop, looking playfully at Dinah. "Don't plan anything on Friday."

"Why not?" Diana asked.

"Well, we couldn't possibly leave you with no bachelorette party…"

"Oh, you don't have to!"

"But we want to…" Shayera said. "We've already booked our entertainers, so any resistance is futile, Princess."

"Oh, I wouldn't resist…" Diana said and they shard a laugh.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Be serious." Bruce scolded. The preparations were tiring for him. He didn't know that a wedding could possibly have so many things to arrange. Luckily, Diana and Alfred took care of the majority of the things, but he was still the groom, and that meant that people's attention would be turned towards him as well, and he hated it.

"I am!" Barry said. "It's an ancient wedding tradition!"

"Come on, Bruce." Clark said, grinning. "It will be fun. Enjoying your last day of 'freedom'!"

"A freedom I willingly discarded. It's a pointless night."

"Quit being so damn grumpy!" John said, flying over them as they walked through the Base's corridors. "You will come, whether you want it or not."

"Yeah!" Barry exclaimed. "It's a party for your sake!"

"I don't like parties."

"You don't like anything!"

"I like my peace and quiet."

"You're getting married, my friend." Clark said, passing his hand over Bruce's shoulders. "And we all know what that means." He looked at John.

"Oh, yes." John said. "Say goodbye to your peace and quiet once and for all." Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You can't expect your best men not to throw you a bachelor party!" Barry said. "It'd be unacceptable!"

"He's right." Clark said. "If you wanted nothing of this, you should have picked J'onn, the Question and Doctor Fate."

"I had the misfortune of being closer to you, and I, now, regret picking you."

"Come on!" Barry whined. "We've booked _the hottest _place! You can't go back on this!"

"Hell he is." John said decisively. "I'll lock you in a lantern sphere and drag you there if I have to."

"No." Bruce insisted.

"You're pathetic!" Barry said.

"Bruce." Clark said. "Do you think your soon-to-be wife won't have a party like that for her too?"

"What?" Bruce said, arching an eyebrow.

"The girls have a party planned for her alright." John said.

"Lois has been calling Shayera and Dinah to plan it for a week now." Clark said.

"Shayera booked the entertainers." John said, meaningfully. "The girls are going to have a blast, and we're not?"

"I wasn't aware of that." Bruce said.

"Do it for our manly pride!" Barry said. "We can't let the ladies have all the fun!"

"Fine." Bruce said and Clark almost applauded in joy. "I'll come."

"I knew you'd come to your senses soon." John said.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"I heard you're busy on Friday…" Bruce said, once they were alone in their bedroom.

"I am indeed." Diana said, sitting on the side of the bed and bending down to untie her shoes.

"You're going out, I suppose?" Bruce asked, walking to his side of the bed.

"Bruce, you know where I'm going very well, as I know where you'll be too."

Bruce shrugged, lying back on his pillows. "The others insisted."

"You should go and have fun." Diana said, scooting next to him. "Although not _too much _fun."

"You too, missy. Don't get lost in their…sparkly underwear…"

"Is my man jealous of some strippers?" Diana said playfully, turning to hug him and lay on his chest. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do. I don't trust the others, though."

"Oh, relax! All three of them are married or engaged. We won't do anything else but watch and tip."

"You'd better."

Diana rolled her eyes. "I bet you're in better shape than most of them either way. And I should be the one warning you now!"

"You know I don't enjoy these things."

"Yeah, right. You won't enjoy a hunky girl in a skimpy outfit shaking her stuff in front of you…"

"I'd much rather spend the night with you. Maybe in a skimpy outfit as well…" Bruce said, half-smiling.

"After Sunday, you will."

"At last."

***So, as you can guess, the wedding is coming up next! In a week or so. Wait up, I will be brainstorming for that chapter! Thanks for reading so far, and please, leave me a small review!***


	6. Chapter 6

***A/N: Hello, darlings! I'm back from my amazing vacations, and now I'm ready to write this amazing chapter for you! Thanks to everyone who read-favorited-followed-reviewed. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please tell me how you found it!**

**PS.: I'm not exactly a marriage official, so I don't know the exact texts and procedures, so I improvised a bit. Don't bother with that. :P***

**CHAPTER SIX**

Bruce shuffled his weight nervously from his heel to the ball of his foot. Luckily his shoes were quite comfortable and allowed him to move casually however he liked. He turned his gaze to the white rose bouquet in his hands and swallowed awkwardly. He wasn't supposed to feel so nervous, but he did. He felt as if his silver tie was a bit too tight and passed his finger behind the collar of his white shirt. He heard a muffled chuckle from his left and turned to glare at his best men. Naturally, Barry was laughing, holding his hand over his mouth, trying to silence it.

"What's so funny?" Bruce asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing…" Barry said, between laughs. Bruce glared at him more. "It's just that… I think this might be the first time I've seen you sweating out of nerves, man!"

"Excuse you?!"

"Relax, Bruce." Clark said. "It's normal to be a bit anxious."

"Yeah!" John agreed. "I remember how I was at my wedding. Sweating like I had just run for miles." Bruce remained silent.

"Just think about what's following the ceremony…" Clark said, winking.

"The reception..." Bruce said dully.

"No, silly!" Barry said, nudging him strongly. "The honeymoon! And you're sure going to get some _honey _from our Princess…"

"Nothing I haven't seen before." Bruce simply retorted and Barry bit his lip. Clark and John smirked.

Bruce turned his gaze to the crowd. The white benches were filled with fancy-dressed leaguers, some family members, some Wayne Enterprise board members and a few others here and there. The seats of the front row, closer to the aisle, were empty. On the right, next to the empty spot, sat two Amazons, in a bit more modern that their usual attires, along with Cassie and Donna. Hippolyta would sit next to them, and on the left, was Alfred's seat, right next to Dick and Barbara.

Bruce was quite surprised when he heard that Hippolyta would actually attend the wedding. It wasn't like the Amazons to leave their island for occasions like a wedding, but he supposed the Queen must have been a bit more flexible now, considering it was her only daughter that was to be the bride. And it wasn't like they'd have to travel far. The island was very close to their homeland.

By the beginning of the aisle, Alfred was having a talk with Hippolyta. She was a good deal taller than him and the image, for Bruce at least, was a bit funny. He was certain that Alfred's polished manners would win the Queen of the Amazons, though, as Alfred seemed to be a favorite among ladies. They hadn't met before and Bruce clearly remembered that Alfred had been particularly interested in meeting his beloved Diana's mother in person. Royals were, after all, one of Alfred's favorite kinds of people.

Alfred was flabbergasted when he got to speak with Queen Hippolyta. She was a vibrant and dynamic lady, very much like Princess Diana and he wouldn't miss an opportunity to meet a true Queen. He was quick in inviting her over to the Manor-being fully aware that she would kindly refuse and not letting that stop him nonetheless.

Bruce checked his outfit for the last time. Diana was about to walk in any second now. His shoes were totally clean, with no scratches on the expensive leather; his platinum cufflinks were in their position, closed tightly over his sleeves; his grey suit was fitting him perfectly; his tie was straight and tied properly. Alfred was, of course, the one responsible of his dressing-up, and would accept nothing else but perfection. He looked at the bouquet again. The roses were pretty and fresh, not one of them being even slightly withered. He ran his finger over the petals of one, stroking its velvet surface. Everything was alright, even the weather was perfect. Even though those islands were famous for their winds, not a single leaf was moving. Suddenly, all of the crowd noises went silent and Clark coughed shortly by his side. Bruce lifted his head up and looked at the beginning of the aisle.

Bruce couldn't actually control his reactions. His eyes widened wildly upon seeing Diana emerge, holding her dress and looking down for a moment. He would have taken a step back in shock, if every muscle in his body hadn't been so tense. She…She was amazing. Was she even real?

Her dress, so well-tailored, flowed nicely around as she took a couple of strides, embracing the line of her body. Her dense, black hair was gathered back, with just two loose strands framing her face. She wore a small, golden tiara on top and she looked like a Princess more than ever. She approached Alfred and Hippolyta and took their elbows, as the wedding march played and they walked towards him, with Alfred on her left and Hippolyta on her right, from Bruce's point of view.

Diana lifted her eyes to him and smiled lightly. As their eyes met, he couldn't help but grin back. She looked unreal, Bruce thought. So elegant, so ethereal, so beautiful… And she was going to be his. When that little thought crossed his mind, Bruce felt a tingling sensation come from his toes to his top, tickling his neck hair and he shook it off, smiling widely to her.

She was everything he ever wanted. The years they had spent together had changed him, but they were the best years he ever had and with her, his life had a new meaning and so much potential. She had taught him not to be afraid to dream and to want things. Now, though, all he wanted was her; and he would have it. His chest felt warm and fuzzy, but his stomach was tight and he knew his cheeks would probably be flushed. He would have scolded himself for feeling like a schoolboy at a first date with his crush, if he wasn't too lost in feeling so peculiarly happy and excited. His four-years-ago self would have never thought it to possible to be able to love someone this much.

And if he hadn't been so involved in watching his bride, he would have noticed Dick ceaselessly taking photos of his goofy grimaces and his lit-up face.

Alfred and Hippolyta let go of Diana as they reached the wedding arch. She turned and nodded to both of them as they took their seats and Bruce stretched his hand out to her. She took it gently and he helped her up the few stairs, never breaking their eye contact. Diana's eyes had a playful and very promising look. Bruce thought he could stare at them for endless hours, but for now, he needed to focus on the ceremony. He handed her the bouquet and they turned towards the official who'd marry them.

"We have gathered here," he began, opening his small, burgundy book, "to join these two in holy marriage."

He went on with his text, but neither Diana, nor Bruce cared to pay much attention to what he was saying. Bruce kept rubbing Diana's delicate hand with his thumb and they exchanged short glances of adoration here and there, pretending to listen to the man. Their glances had gone unnoticed by everyone but Alfred, who had particularly instructed the photographer to capture them and the cameraman who filmed the ceremony not to miss a second of that part.

"It is time for the vows." The man said, when the fixed text part was over. "Bruce."

Bruce cleared his throat. He had rehearsed his vows in his head multiple times. They weren't that long, after all. Just something to get the message across. He had thought of delivering them in Greek, so that no one but her –and maybe the Amazons- would understand and save him the embarrassment, but everyone had insisted that it was just for a day, and a day when he and Diana would be the center of attention whether the guests understood the vows or not. And so, he began. "My very dear Diana,"-he took both of her hands in his-"never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that two people like you and me would end up taking the big step." Diana smiled at him and he lifted the corners of his mouth momentarily, trying to keep a straight face for the rest of his speech. "I hope the years to come will be as amazing as those that we've been together and know that I will always be there to hold you and give you everything. Yours truly, Bruce." Diana gave him the sweetest of looks when he finished and held his hands tightly.

"Laconic like a Spartan to the very end." Bruce heard Clark whisper and knew the three of them were probably rolling their eyes at him. He didn't care, though. That was all he wished to say now. Diana knew the rest very well.

"Diana?" The man said, turning to the stunning bride.

She had memorized her vows too. It wasn't that hard to do; it was, after all, her heart speaking honestly. And her heart had taken her over for the day, from the moment she laid eyes on the wonderful man waiting for her underneath the arch. She gave him another warm smile and spoke. "My beloved Bruce, words can only do so much when it comes to how I feel about you. From the moment we met, up to now, my feelings for you have only grown and though you were a bit…tough to crack,"-Bruce half-smiled and some guests chuckled-"it was all worth it in the end, because you make me happy, like no man could ever do. Every day, no matter how hard it is, is a good one if I get to wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night by your side. Since I've got you, I can ask of nothing else from my life; it's complete. We have had many happy moments and I know that, from now on, there will be many more to come. You mean everything to me. With all my love, Diana." Bruce held her hands even more tightly, sharing an intense look with her.

"She certainly has her way with words…" Lois mumbled to Dinah by Diana's side and she nodding smiling.

"Please repeat after me." The official said and they nodded. "I promise to be by your side…"

"I promise to be by your side…" Bruce and Diana repeated.

"In sickness and in health…"

"In sickness and in health…"

"In rich and in poor…"

"In rich and in poor…"

"Through good and bad times…"

"Through good and bad times…"

"Till death do us part."

"Till death do us part."

"Now the rings, please." The official said and Bruce turned to Clark. The Kryptonian handed him a red velvet box, taking it out of his pocket. Bruce took the smaller gold ring, putting it on Diana's finger, right after her proposal ring. Diana did so accordingly, pushing the wedding ring on his right index and cupping his hand.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Everyone burst into a loud round of applause, as Bruce took a small step towards Diana, running his right hand on her cheek and placing his fingers underneath her chin, drawing her closer. Her eyes ran from his eyes to his lips as they finally kissed tenderly and Bruce embraced her waist with his left hand. The guests clapped intensely again and Alfred almost slapped Dick's forearm in excitement, as the young man took dozens of photos for insurance, since Alfred could never trust the professional photographers completely.

When they stopped kissing, they held hands and started walking on the aisle, as the guests threw rice at them. It was a Greek tradition that they decided to include in their ceremony. Small bags of rice were given to the guests before the beginning and they were to throw it by the end of it. It was supposed to symbolize fertility in the couple's life.  
When the rice-throwing came to an end and the guests were to be given their porcelain candy jars, Alfred and the best men started giving instructions on how to get to the wedding reception place.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

The reception was held at an amazing castle-like building of the island. It had a big stone-paved yard, with marble fountains and a big restaurant hall inside. Their reception, though, was held outside, at the grass-surrounded yard. The tables were covered with lush, white, thick tablecloths that matched the chairs as well. The couple's and the bridesmaids'-best men's table wasn't round, like the guests', but horizontal and placed in front of the house, having perfect view of all the guests' tables. Just an hour after the ceremony, everyone had reached the place and taken a seat. Bruce and Diana were sitting in the middle of the table, with their friends by their sides. Alfred, Dick, Barbara, Cassie, Donna and Hippolyta had a seat at their table as well.

Just when the main course was being served, Barry hit his wine glass with his knife and everyone went quiet. "I think it is time to have a toast to the couple."

Bruce grabbed Clark's forearm on his left. "Don't tell me _he_'s the one to give the best man's speech?!"

Clark shrugged. "He insisted."

"You should have insisted more!"

"Calm down, Bruce." Clark said, grinning. "It'll be okay."

Bruce sighed and turned to Barry, who had now cleared his throat.

"As you all know," the speedster said, "Barry Allen is a man of many talents. One of them is my natural affinity for rhymes and so, how could I leave my beloved friends, the bride and the groom, without a special poem for their wedding?" Diana and Bruce exchanged a look of curious horror as he went on.

"Oh, what a wonderful day this should be,

That my friends married I now see.

The bride looks like a pageant queen,

For the groom this is a goddamn win!

Here in this Greek island that they chose,

Their bachelor lives they get to close.

I wish Bruce won't be so gloomy,

Not when his wife has such a boot-" His lyric was cut short when he saw Bruce crack his wineglass in his hand and he moved on the next verse. Clark and John tried to give Bruce an apologetic look.

"They are both great and divine,

Their life, of course, shall be sublime.

For his wealth she doesn't give a dime,

For her, he always finds some time.

In that huge Manor they'll reside,

From me, though, they won't hide!

I know they're going to have some babies,

And fill the house with many Wayne-ies.

Alfred behind them will need to run,

Especially if they take after their mum.

I wish them many hours of family fun,

For each other I know they're 'the one'."

A second of awkward silence later, Billy Batson was the first one to start clapping ecstatically and the rest of the guests followed, as Barry bowed and sat down. He lifted his wine glass up, as everyone else did, and toasted to the newlyweds.

Bruce turned to Diana to apologize for his choice of best men, only to find her giggling. He sighed in relief and tried to smile. He needed to see the bright side in things.

Their orchestra resumed their music and Bruce saw Alfred make his way to them, knowing it was time. He got up and opened his palm to Diana. "Come." He said and she nodded, understanding. She gave him her hand and he led her to the space in front of their table, as the song that was being played stopped, and the first notes of 'Am I Blue' echoed around. They knew it wasn't a very fitting song for a wedding, but it was their song, nonetheless, and they wanted to dance to nothing else, as their first spousal dance.

Bruce placed one hand on her waist and she naturally placed hers on his shoulder, still holding his other hand. Casually, he started leading the dance, having her follow his moves as naturally as ever. They hadn't planned any choreography; they had decided to let themselves dance freely and as it came to them at the moment. Bruce made them twirl and turn around many times and Diana understood that he was in high spirits. They maintained a strong eye contact throughout the song, as there was no need to look at their feet or anyone else. They clicked together almost too well to need to keep focused on the dance more. Bruce half-smiled at her and lifted her up in the middle of a turn. Her dress flowed wildly around them.

For any watcher at the time, the dance was definitely choreographed. There was no way on Earth they could dance so well together without having something planned. Their various moves and lifts were swift and graceful, but they appeared as if they were stepping on clouds, hovering over ground. They seemed not to care about their surroundings at all, as they were completely focused on each other. His sturdy hands held her closely and strongly and she knew how to make the most of her body and her outfit for the dance. It was dreamy.

Hippolyta had her hands folded over her chest as she watched. She shouldn't have been so light-hearted about having her only daughter give herself to a man but something about this dance and this image moved her too deeply. Diana was radiating with happiness and the man she chose, that Bruce Wayne, was honest. He loved her daughter dearly and Hippolyta, after finally meeting Alfred, knew her daughter was in very good and capable hands.

Far from the general feeling of the dance, John Stewart, after having watched the dance for only about thirty seconds, was giving his wife on the other side of the table dirty looks that she felt no guilt at all in returning. Lois nudged Shayera to keep her in line.

Alfred hastily wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and turned to check if Dick was filming. Dick had the biggest of his grins on his face as he kept filming the dance alongside the professionals, knowing that this would be a footage that Alfred would like to see almost every day.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Yes, everything's here." Bruce reassured Diana, taking a seat by her and fastening his seatbelt.

"Good." Diana said simply, drawing the jet's steering wheel to her and having it speed up and pass through a thick layer of puffy clouds. The jet soon was over the level of the clouds.

Bruce and Diana watched the skyline and the clouds underneath them fill with all kinds of colors from pink to yellow and from purple to light blue and red. Diana smiled ever-so-lightly.

Bruce passed his hands behind his head. "Honeymoon, then."

"Honeymoon!" Diana exclaimed after him, having her jet accelerate even more. Bruce smiled.

***And so they tied the knot! Sorry for any unnoticed typos-mistakes. Please, tell me how you found it! Thanks for reading this far!***


	7. Chapter 7

***A/N: Greetings, dear readers. Since they have gotten married now, it's a good time to delve into some family moments, right? I hope you enjoy them and thanks so much for reading and supporting this fic!**

**PS.: To the guest that I couldn't get to reply personally, yes, you're right, Wally West was the Flash in the original JL-JLU. To my defense, the last DC show I watched was the Young Justice one, where Wally West was Kid Flash and I suppose I was quite influenced by it into thinking Barry Allen was the Flash in JL too. A detail that slipped my attention. Anyhow, I've gone with Barry Allen now, so I'll keep him as the Flash here. Thanks for letting me know, though!***

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Bruce knew he wasn't going to get much sleep that month but he didn't complain the least bit about it. Diana had it much worse and the only thing he could do was support her through this. She had trouble sleeping in general, as her belly and the baby's weight didn't allow her any comfortable positions during the night, but she tried to keep cheerful. She was going to be a mother, soon.

Diana could walk quite fine, even now, the last month of her pregnancy. Bruce knew it was because of her superstrength that she managed to get about so well and he had no objection in her always wearing several parts of her magic suit, to have that superstrength she needed. Although they had talked about it countless of times, Bruce just couldn't convince her to stay at home and in bed and get some rest. Diana argued that being confined in a house and doing nothing would drive her crazy and used the argument of the mother's psychological situation affecting the baby's development. The baby's health had become Bruce's top priority and so, the subject of Diana staying at home was dropped. She still teleported to the Watchtower –Bruce had doublechecked that the teleporters were safe for use during pregnancy- and got busy with monitoring tasks, even though she was officially on pregnancy leave. She also did some strategy classes with the newest recruits and so her days were spent. When she was at the Base, she was still Wonder Woman. When she was at home, she was pregnant Diana, and for Bruce, those two personas were completely different as pregnant Diana had developed many quirky habits that, naturally, he and Alfred were quick in indulging. He didn't whine, as nothing she did was annoying and he knew that pregnancy involved many tantrums and weird appetites and mood swings. He bore with her, focusing on the little creature they were going to have with them in some weeks.

Predictably enough, when he entered his bedroom, he found Diana rubbing some simple Vaseline on the sides of her tummy, to avoid having her skin crease after the labor. On her night table, he saw the usual parade of water and juice bottles and her beloved tissue box, as she knew she could get emotional out of nowhere.

"Hey, honey." She said, giving him a warm smile. He smiled back and climbed on the bed.

"How are you?"

She shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. She's been quite active today but I can manage…"

Bruce ran his hand gently over the baby bump. Diana took it and placed it on the right side of her belly and Bruce felt his daughter kick. A small smile formed on his lips automatically. "I bet she'll be a strong kid…"

"Wonder where she got that from?" Diana said jokingly and gathered her hair in a messy bun. Bruce planted a kiss on her belly and sat back by her side.

"I talked with Dick." Bruce said. "He agreed to take some of my Gotham shifts."

"Thank you, Bruce. I'm sorry to have to ask you to do it-I know how you love your Gotham patrols- but I can't shake off this feeling and-"

"Don't mention it, Diana. I want to be here with you now. If you feel that she's coming soon, the least thing I can do is be with you for as long as possible."

"It won't be long, I know." Bruce nodded. "Dick offered to be around me for when you aren't, you know."

"No need to."

"Well he's just as excited for his baby sister as you, mister!"

"We're all excited but if someone needs to be around at the time of the delivery, that is me."

"Alfred would argue with you on that." Diana said smiling and Bruce yawned. "Let's go to sleep now, shall we?"

Bruce nodded and kissed her lightly before they lay back on their pillows. He turned off the lights and closed his eyes. He didn't know why he felt so tired that night but he knew that sleep would come to him heavily…

Or not. Not more than half an hour later, he drifted away from that comfortable sleeping-awake limbo he was, having heard something unsettling. It wasn't something he hadn't heard before, but it was equally upsetting every time; the sound of Diana drawing a tissue from the box. He turned to her, facing her back and resting his hand on her forearm.

"What is it, Princess?"

"Nothing…"

"Come on, Diana. What happened?"

"Nothing happened." She insisted.

"And you're crying because nothing happened." Bruce helped her turn around and get on her back, knowing movements weren't easy for her with that belly.

"I'm not crying, I was just… thinking and these tears started running on their own, I don't know…"

Bruce cradled her close to him, suppressing a yawn. "What were you thinking about, then?"

"About her. That she's going to be here soon and she'll be growing up quickly and I'll be her mother and… what if I'm bad? A bad mother? What if I'm not made for being a mom and I mess her up?"

"Hush, Diana. These are silly thoughts. If you could manage being my wife, you can manage a tiny little baby. And you're not alone. We are going to raise her well, I know it."

"How do you know, my love?"

"Because I know us and I know you, more like it. You're a Wonder Woman in everything."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Thank you."

Bruce kissed her forehead gently and soon, they fell asleep in each other arms'. Somewhere around three in the morning, though, Diana's eyes shot open; she wanted something. She poked Bruce but he was sleeping quite soundly, so she shook him a bit and he woke up, shaking his head.

"What is it?!"

"Bruce…"

"Yes?" He replied in his husky, sleepy voice.

"Can you…"

"Yes, Diana. What can I get you?"

"Some prosciutto and feta cheese. Maybe some of Alfred's honey sauce from lunch too. Please?"

"Yes, yes…" Bruce mumbled, dragging himself off the bed and putting on his slippers. He rubbed his eyes and exited the bedroom, almost blindly making his way to the vast kitchen. He turned the lights on and squinted his eyes till they adjusted to the light. Instinctively, he opened the first cupboard on his right and stared at it for a good thirty seconds before realizing that he was staring at jars of spices. He closed the cupboard and headed to the plate drawer. He took out a medium-sized china plate and pondered where those things she requested might be. Finally, the gears in his mind started running and he rolled his eyes at himself before making his way to the double-door fridge. He opened it and stared at the full shelves. Luckily, Alfred stacked the fridge in categories, so he soon found the prosciutto among the salamis and sausages, and the feta cheese next to the gouda slices and the regato chunk. During the last months, he had also learnt that Alfred kept any ingredient leftovers for a couple of days at the left fridge door. He quickly scanned the door and found a small clay jar. He opened its lid and smelled it, confirming that it was the honey sauce. He placed everything on the plate, closed the fridge doors and left the kitchen, heading back to his bedroom.

He entered the master bedroom only to see Diana standing by the bed, in a colorful, loose dress and holding a small travel bag.

"Diana?" He asked worryingly.

"I'm afraid I won't get to eat those. We need to go." She replied, smiling.

Bruce ran to her, leaving the plate on the bed. "You mean you-"

Diana nodded. "She's coming."

Every hint of sleepiness left his body in an instant. Bruce grabbed Diana's bag and passed his other hand around her waist, helping her to the door. Somewhere near the welcoming hall, they saw Alfred descend the stairs and gasp upon seeing them.

"Master Bruce! My Lady! Has your water broken?!" He exclaimed, running down the stairs.

"Yes!" Diana replied.

"Oh, my!" The butler squealed. "We need to go!"

"And what do you think we're doing, Alfred? Dancing?!" Bruce said.

Alfred didn't answer to him. He simply made his way to the front door and opened it for them. He pulled a small suitcase from next to a big vase and followed them outside, locking the door after them.

"What is that, Alfred?" Diana asked between pants, after having climbed inside the car. Alfred sat next to her and held her hand.

"You're not the only one with a hospital bag ready, Princess! We'll be staying with you these days, so I made sure to have my things ready from last week."

Bruce's driver's door was shut abruptly and the car roared as Bruce stepped on the gas pedal. The Manor's doors were opened and the car raced outside.

"Call Wayne Clinic!" Bruce shouted at the voice-control of the vehicle.

"Calling Wayne Clinic." A female voice echoed from the speakers before the dialing tone sounded. Two rings later, they picked up.

"_Wayne Clinic, yes?"_ A bored nurse said.

"This is Bruce Wayne." Bruce announced immediately and heard some thumps coming from the phone.

"_Oh, um, hello, Mister Wayne!"_ The nurse said, after taking a look at the caller's number identification. _"What can we do for you tonight?"_

"I'm bringing in my wife, she is to go to labor. We need a room ready for her. Bring her gynecologist too, Mrs…"

"Mrs. Pine." Diana said from the back seat.

"Mrs. Pine!" Bruce repeated.

"_I will call her right away, sir!"_ The nurse said. "_We'll be expecting you!"_

"Good." Bruce said and hung up, stepping on the gas pedal even more. The Gotham streets were empty and Bruce took the car to its maximum speed.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

An exhausted Diana held the little bundle in her arms. Her hair was still sticking at her temples but nothing in the world could make her take her eyes from the tiny creature. It felt so…fragile, wrapped in soft, yellow sheets, breathing lightly. The doctors had confirmed that she was very healthy and born well, though a couple of weeks too soon. Bruce was sitting by her side on the bed, having one hand over her shoulders and one hand on the baby. Diana swore she could see his eyes were watery.

Alfred had cried of his excitement when the doctors announced that everything had gone well. By the time the little girl came out, Clark and J'onn had come at the Clinic to see them too. After Alfred took the initial photos of the baby and the happy family, Clark took photos of them with Alfred and then a doctor took photos of them all together. The clinic room-all booked for her- was filled with vases of flowers, balloons and stuffed animals for the baby. Visitors came one after the other during the two days she'd stay there. On one of the rare moments they had no visitors, Bruce stood by Diana's bed while she breastfed the baby and stared at them, thinking that this was the portrait of his perfect happiness.

"I think she might look like you." He said, smiling.

"It's too early to know." Diana said, giving him a kind look. "I think she has your eyes, though."

"Babies' eyes change at their first days, you know."

"Just wait and see…" Diana simply said, stroking the baby's black hair. Bruce sat by her side once again.

"Thought of a suitable name yet?"

"A couple. We said that we'd decide when we saw her…"

"And now that we did? Have you come to a conclusion?"

"Only one so far. That Calliste is definitely not a name for her."

"Agreed."

"Nor is Cleopatra."

"Yes."

"Ariadne would be good but…"

"It doesn't fit well…" Bruce took a good look at his daughter again. The baby opened his little eyes and Diana stopped feeding her, wiping her small mouth and snuggling her close. The tiny girl lazily turned his eyes to Bruce and he lifted his eyebrows. She did have his eyes. "Diana…" Bruce said, as it just struck him. "She is… Iphigenia."

Diana grinned lovingly. "She is, isn't she?"

"Definitely."

"Go get him." Diana told him meaningfully and Bruce nodded. He went outside and fetched Alfred.

"How is our little treasure?" He asked upon entering Diana's room.

"Full and ready to fall asleep." Diana replied.

"Alfred, we have found her name." Bruce said, getting straight to the point.

"Oh, please, do tell me!"

"It's Iphigenia." Diana said.

Alfred took a close look at the baby and half-smiled. "It suits her."

"And…" Diana said, "we want you to be her godfather."

Alfred's eyes widened.

***That was it! First Wayne baby! Hehe! I'll be gone for the weekend, I'll update when I get back! Thanks for reading and reviewing!***


	8. Chapter 8

***A/N: I am back from my weekend getaway and ready to give you a…well, not so suiting –given the season- chapter. Thanks to everyone who faved-followed and reviewed, of course, and left me your lovely comments. I hope you like this too!***

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Diana examined the ornaments carefully, squinting her eyes. Something just didn't fit in; something was missing from that particular part of the Christmas tree.

Bruce hadn't decorated a Christmas tree ever since the year his parents were killed but when Diana moved in, she insisted in decorating one every year. Bruce, at first, didn't help her much with it, so she did it with Alfred, but when the kids came along, he participated for the sake of the family activity. He mostly carried the things from the basement to the living room and gave his opinion on what kind of lighting bulbs they should put on, but that was enough for his family. He, deep down, enjoyed it; something about the way Iphigenia's eyes shone while she ran around the tree hanging colorful balls and snowflakes and little Thomas squealing with joy when the bright lights were finally lit, made him like sitting there and 'helping' them decorate it.

When Diana was the one responsible for the tree, it was elegant. She picked ornaments of one or two colors that complemented each other and kept it light and classy. When Iphigenia started having a say on Christmas shopping, though, the elegant tree was gone for good, and in came a Christmas tree filled with things of all shapes and sizes, painted in every color of the rainbow. Alfred indulged such a 'miasma' in his living room, giving way to some holiday kitsch, as he said, and laughed whenever he passed from there.

Diana soon realized that what was missing was a simple red ball, as too many blue and silver ones had gathered on that spot. She removed a big red ball from the base of the tree and hung it between the blue ones. She took a step back and examined the tree again. Now it looked better, she thought, and smiled to herself, feeling a pair of familiar hands wrap around her waist from behind. Bruce planted a kiss on her neck and caressed the sides of her face with his.

"Hey, Princess." He mumbled by her ear.

"Hey." She said, letting her head fall on his collarbone and shoulder. "How was the meeting?"

"Short, fortunately. I wouldn't want to miss tonight."

"We wouldn't want you to miss it either." She turned around, facing him. "You've been gone way too often lately."

"Yes, I know. It's just some-"

"Gotham troubles, I know. This is overdoing it, though, Bruce, even for Batman's standards."

"Diana, you know I can't let it off so easily."

"And to think you have several reinforcements now… It's quite serious, right?"

Bruce shrugged. "It's always serious, but we'll find a way to settle it, eventually."

"I hope so. I'd very much like to help more but, you know, with that Black Manta stuff, I'm always stationed in Atlantis at my shifts nowadays."

"It's fine, Diana."

"If you say so…"

Two voices echoed around the room, shouting "Dad! Dad!", until Thomas and Iphigenia ran to Bruce and wrapped around a leg each.

"What took you so long?" Iphigenia whined.

"Daddy, yay!" Thomas drooled happily.

Bruce let go of Diana's waist and easily lifted both of his children in his arms. "Hello, little ones." He said. "Ready for tonight?"

"Santa's coming, Daddy!" Thomas said.

"And bringing us presents!" Iphigenia added.

"Thomas drew you a card, Bruce." Diana said, stroking the boy's hair.

"Really?" Bruce said grinning and looking at his son. The boy nodded.

"With my new markers, Daddy!"

"And I wrote it!" Iphigenia said and Bruce gave her a small kiss.

"Off you go now, kids!" Diana said and Bruce put them down. "Your father needs to have a shower now."

Diana gave Bruce a small peck and took the children from the hand to get to their rooms.

"Mama, I'm bored..." Bruce heard Iphigenia say.

"Na soo diavaso myth-oos?" Diana asked her daughter. (A/N: Translation: Can I read you some myths?)

"Ne!" The girl replied. "Mou aresoon i mythi!" (Tr: Yes! I like myths!)

Bruce half-smiled to himself after hearing them converse shortly in Greek. Diana had tried to raise the children bilingually, knowing it will come in handy sometime. Although they did resort in English mostly, the children seemed to be quite interested in Greek too and so Diana was happy to start teaching her daughter Greek, to her son's dismay, who wanted to take part as well, but was too young.

Bruce started unbuttoning his shirt and headed for the bathroom.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

With their bellies full of Alfred's amazing Christmas dinner, Iphigenia and Thomas sat in front of the Christmas tree, shuffling impatiently. Bruce turned on the stereo and let the Christmas disc play the Carols. Alfred hesitantly sat between the children and Diana headed for the tree. Its base was filled with bags and boxes covered in colorful wrapping paper and tied with fancy ribbons. She grabbed a big pink box and put it in front of Iphigenia. The girl was ready to lunge at it if Diana hadn't given her a stern look. She knew she had to wait to open it, until everyone had their gifts sorted out. Bruce joined them at the tree.

Diana handed him three bags and Alfred two. She finally grabbed the two remaining ones and sat down next to Bruce as well. They exchanged a meaningful look and Bruce started the countdown.

"Three…" The children put their hands on their boxes. "Two…" They readied their nails. "One…Go." Sounds of paper ripping furiously filled the room.

The grown-ups gently started opening their bags. Alfred, in his first bag, found a posh, cashmere scarf of dark blue color and a pair of dark brown, leather gloves with the signature of the Wayne personal tailor. He smiled to himself, knowing Diana had picked them out for him. Moving on to the next bag, he expected an envelope with cash, as it was Master Bruce's typical kind of present and predictably enough, he did see a big envelope inside. Opening it up, though, he found several documents, but not cash and was quite content with it. A more personalized present would be much more appreciated than cold paper bills. Reading the documents, he realized that he had been subscribed as a member to every museum and gallery in Gotham and the surrounding cities, gaining access in exclusive shows, and that he had also donated a considerable amount to them too. It was a thoughtful move; Alfred was very much interested in museums and art and tried to visit all the new exhibitions. Now he would be able to go everywhere and be a bit more…appreciated, after his generous donations. The last document though, made his eyebrows jump; a personal invitation to the filming of his favorite cooking show and a pass to meet all of the celebrity chefs. He almost giggled and looked at Bruce and Diana, looking at their kids opening their presents. He knew that it was obviously Diana's idea –there was no way on Earth Bruce knew which his favorite cooking show was- but it was in Bruce's present and so he was thankful for both of them.

By the moment Alfred finished reading all these documents, he had successfully ignored the high-pitched squeals of Iphigenia and the endless streak of 'wow' of Thomas. It was their parents' business to deal with them now.

Iphigenia's arms weren't long enough to be able to hug the huge box, no matter how much she tried. She gave up the effort and ripped it open too -struggling a bit but managing it nonetheless without much help, as she was a quite sturdy kid; half an Amazon, which came with the full Amazonian physique- taking the exquisite dollhouse out. It was what she's been asking for since summer. Her parents, though, were very careful with their gifts, not wanting their kids to turn into spoiled brats and, given the cost of the gift, promised to have 'Santa' bring it for her on Christmas. She understood and waited as patiently as possible till the day. And so she was now able to have it in her arms. It was a big dollhouse replica of a Victorian castle-like house, with furniture and many china figures to play. It also came with a small wardrobe for the figurines, which Iphigenia was quick in exploring. She squealed whenever she found another fancy detail in the house and her parents laughed at her reactions. Diana thought that the dollhouse was very beautiful and her daughter would certainly appreciate its beauty more than its toy value as she grew up. She would let little Iphigenia enjoy playing with it, of course, as she was a careful child and hardly ever made any mess by being clumsy. The china figurines were fine in her hands, although she couldn't say the same for her son too.

Though Thomas was still very young-just some months older than three, his parents soon realized that gravity had an increased effect in anything the boy held. He didn't throw them down on purpose; they just kid of…slipped out of his hands. Thomas' clumsiness extended to him banging on several things as he walked and ending up with bruises in all kinds of places. His father was particularly worried about them but he remember that Thomas was just a kid, and kids always found ways to come up with minor injuries. It was all part of growing up and Alfred's constant supervision didn't let his son come up with anything worse, like a fractured bone. They all hoped he would get better as he got older. Considering such was Thomas' tendency towards scratches and bruises, though, Bruce and Diana were very skeptic at their son's Christmas request, as they didn't think a bicycle was the right kind of gift. Yet, they couldn't bring themselves to disappoint the boy on Christmas, and so they bought him a cute tricycle, fit to a boy of his age, and along with it, all kinds of protective equipment. Bruce had everything custom-made to fit the boy perfectly, from the helmet to the kneecaps. As soon as Thomas -with Bruce's help- had gotten the tricycle out, Bruce warned him that he would take the bike back if he ever saw him riding without every single piece of protective equipment he had bought for him as well. Thomas, who saw his father as a figure of amazing power, agreed in awe and Bruce taught him where to wear everything, making sure Alfred watched as well, since he would be the one dressing up the boy for his tricycle adventures.

"Can I ride it now, Dad?" Thomas asked, banging his little hands on the sides of his red bike helmet.

Bruce turned to Diana. She nodded a bit and Bruce turned back to Thomas. "Yes, but only within the living room and away from the furniture!"

"And away from my dollhouse!" Iphigenia yelled, placing herself protectively in front of her present. Thomas shook his head in agreement and climbed on the tricycle, hitting the teddy bear horn. They all started laughing when the boy, instead of putting his feet on the pedals, started pushing the tricycle along, with his feet. Bruce got up, shaking his head sideways.

"Here, Thomas." He said and helped him place his feet on the pedals. "Now push your feet."

The boy pushed his feet and the tricycle started moving. "Wow!" He exclaimed, as if he had discovered a whole new world. Bruce walked along with him as he rode, showing him how to turn the bike and how to make it stop. In the meantime, Alfred and Diana had approached Iphigenia and her dollhouse, exploring the small rooms.

"What a fantastic dollhouse, Princess." Alfred commented.

"Isn't it?" Diana said, observing a maid figurine.

"Santa brings the best present ever!" Iphigenia said, hugging her mother strongly.

Thomas' loud laughs made them turn to boy's direction, where they saw the boy, pedaling strongly around the space and Bruce pacing by his right side, keeping him away from the furniture.

"That's enough, Thomas." Diana said and the boy pedaled to her. She helped him off and placed him on her lap. "You won't ride it inside the house, okay?"

"Yes, mom." The boy replied, getting comfortable, resting his head on her chest.

"Only in the garden and only when Alfred is there with you."

"Alfred is always with me…" Thomas said Alfred grinned.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said, "why don't you light the fireplace?" Bruce nodded and headed towards the marble fireplace. Some moments later, three logs and some twigs were placed inside and starting to catch fire.

"Elate, pedia." Diana said, walking to the fireplace with little Thomas in her arms and Iphigenia on her six. They all joined Bruce and watched the fire burn more strongly by the minute. (Tr: Come, kids.)

"What did Santa get you, mama?" Iphigenia asked, leaning on Bruce's forearm.

"I will open my present later, my love. I bet it isn't as pretty as yours, though!" Iphigenia smiled.

Alfred started humming along 'Silent Night', which played on the stereo, and Diana soon joined him. Bruce listened to them, thinking their voices didn't sound too bad. In fact, it was rather nice. When the song was over, they realized that both of the kids had fallen asleep.

"I'm surprised they even stayed awake this long, after such a dinner." Alfred whispered.

Diana cradled Thomas closely and got up. "Indeed. I'll take them to bed."

"And I'll leave you too, for now." Alfred said. "Thank you so much for your presents."

"It's nothing to thank us for." Bruce said, staring at the fire.

Diana easily picked Iphigenia up, almost grabbing her from her woolen shirt and getting her in her arms as well. The girl was sleeping very heavily and didn't even flinch. She exited the living room, along with Alfred, and headed upstairs. She first went to Iphigenia's bedroom, letting the girl on her bed and covering her up with her warm blanket. Shutting the door behind her, she went to Thomas' room, just a door away, and placed the boy in his crib. She snuggled him with a blanket, turned the small nightlight on and left. Quietly, she descended the stairs and entered the living room. Bruce was waiting for her in front of the fireplace, with a whiskey glass in each hand.

She gave him a good look and took a seat by his side on the expensive rug. He handed her her glass and took a sip from his own.

"Nights like this go with a bit of whiskey, don't you think?" He said.

Diana passed her fingers through the fur of the carpet; it must have been the hunting trophy of an older Wayne of the Manor, and took a sip. "Yes, indeed they do."

Bruce scooted a bit closer. "I wish we could spend more nights like this."

"Sharing gifts to our kids?"

"The two of us… In front of the fireplace… Whiskey in hand. You know…"

Diana sighed and let her head fall on his shoulder. "Yes, I know… But we chose the hard life of a superhero and well, nights like this are quite of a privilege, uh?"

"Yes. Especially with the little ones now."

"They're quite lively, aren't they?"

"The perks of the young age, Princess."

Diana nodded and sipped some more. "You know, I've missed you these weeks."

Something about that statement made Bruce's chest feel tense. Why would the one person he should be the more devoted to feel like he was missing from her life? It… it hurt, for some reason.

He knew that both of them had many things on their backs, like the security of the planet, but they had managed to stay together through everything during all these years. Somewhere between the kids and the League, they found themselves longing for each other and some solitude to enjoy. They didn't complain; it was their family after all, and Bruce really did like spending time with his children. Work had been a little too heavy lately and Diana had had to take his share of the children's time as well, along with her own League things. Maybe it had been a little too much but things would get better as soon as the new Gotham issue was settled. And he was, now, more fixed than ever to get over with it.

"I'm sorry." Bruce mumbled. "It will be better in a few days, I promise."

"It's fine, Bruce. Honestly."

Bruce hastily kissed her forehead. Diana lifted her head and examined his face under the fire's light. Time seemed to be particularly kind to the both of them. No white hair, no wrinkles, nothing. They were young, of course, but such an anxiety-driven lifestyle, along with a full family life would have taken its toll on anyone. Yet, they didn't appear any more than thirty and they were, of course, still in perfect physical condition, which helped a lot.

Diana put her glass down and started kissing his jawline, until she reached the corner of his mouth. He put his glass down as well and turned to face her properly. She was breathtakingly beautiful and he felt blessed for the time they finally got to each other. He didn't lose any time and took her face in his hands, kissing her strongly. Diana wrapped her hands around his neck, giving him a good idea of just about how much she had missed him.

Bruce slipped his hand under her pullover but she pulled back slightly. "The kids?" She mumbled.

"They ring the bell if they need anything. They won't come down any time soon." He whispered.

Diana smirked playfully, capturing his lips again and running her fingers over the collar of his shirt. There would be no unbuttoning tonight, she didn't have the patience for that. With one swift movement and absolutely no respect for the garment, she ripped the shirt apart, while buttons shot everywhere around the room. Bruce smiled into the kiss and broke it for just a second, taking Diana's pullover off and kissing her again. Swiftly, he unclasped her bra and pushed her gently, until she was on the carpet and he was over her, letting their bare chests touch. He moved on to her neck, planting tiny kisses along their way and she let a barely-there giggle escape her lips as her hands made their way to his belt.

Of course, none of them remembered that they had some presents waiting for them to be opened. They had other things in mind now…

***Holiday family **_**fun **_**with its whole meaning…**

**I hope you enjoyed it, please leave me a small review on how you found it. Also know that I will be updating a bit less frequently due to some getaways with no Internet that I will be having. Thank you for following this fic patiently!***


	9. Chapter 9

***A/N: Aloha, lovely readers. I get so happy with your nice comments, thanks so much for supporting this! Anyway, I'm moving on slightly further than the infantile age of the kids and I'm sad to say that we're slooowly getting into the final third of the chapters of this fic. If you have any ideas you'd like to see, say them or be quiet forever! :P I can't promise I'll do them, but if I like them, why not? Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this and… see ya at the end!***

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Iphigenia Dione Wayne, come back here this instant!" Diana shouted, stumping her foot on the parquet, which creaked loudly. Alfred, standing at the doorway to the old drawing room, made a mental note to call the parquet technician as soon as possible.

"No!" Iphigenia yelled back, clutching her fists. Her eyes were watery.

"Don't you dare talk to me at that tone of voice!" Her mother said, pointing a finger at her.

"I'll talk to you however I like!" Iphigenia spat back. "Leave me alone!" She ran out of the dining room and up the stairs. Diana exhaled angrily.

"Diana-" Bruce said but she shook her head at him and he stopped.

"I'll deal with her now. You go eat and we'll be down soon." Diana strode outside and climbed up the stairs, making the floor 'scream' with her every step. Alfred cringed at the sounds but dared not interfere and made another mental note, to withdraw some cash from their bank account, as the repairs might not be that cheap.

Bruce, Dick and Thomas exchanged a look of equal confusion, shrugging simultaneously. Iphigenia, fourteen now, was going through her puberty and they just couldn't understand her at times. Bruce was angry at how his daughter had burst out into a fit just before going to dinner but Diana was the one to confront her and Bruce decided to stay back and let her settle things with her daughter. They were, after all, both women and maybe they understood each other somewhat better.

The relationship with his daughter was good and he was happy about that, but he couldn't help but feel like he couldn't get close to her at times, now that she was starting to grow up, and quickly. Physically, she was about ten centimeters shorter than Diana, and the summers she spent at Themyscira and the winters she spent practicing all kinds of sports gave her a quite muscular and athletic physique. She had inherited her mother's natural superhuman, to an extent, strength and abilities, and had cultivated them enough. She was quick and strong, physically and mentally. At times, he saw some of his own stubbornness in her and couldn't decide if that was a good or a bad thing; he guessed it depended on where she used it on.

When Iphigenia was blue or confused, Bruce could calm her spirits. Diana said it was always that peculiar connection between fathers and daughters that did the trick but Bruce wasn't so certain about it. It was just that he knew himself well and she was like him, not only on the outside, but on the inside as well, and so he knew what to say. Iphigenia usually opened up to him and listened to him, but today's outburst was quite something and it was time to…pull out the big guns. Diana rarely got in fights with her children and they all knew that she had her good reasons. To say that she would deal with Iphigenia meant that they would have a big talk, a heart-to-heart mother-to-daughter talk that Bruce, if he wanted to be honest with himself, could never have with his daughter. There were some things that only mothers could discuss with their daughters, as some other subjects could better be discussed between sons and fathers.

Bruce was somewhat afraid at how his firstborn child was starting to change but he knew that they had raised her well up until now and there was nothing they couldn't handle. It was just…adolescence. Instinctively, he turned to his son and smiled, as he was still 'unchanged' and would still be for some years to come. Or so he…hoped? He didn't know and wasn't in the mood for finding out now.

Ignoring the banging of doors upstairs, they followed Alfred to the table and started lunching quietly.

When Diana stopped in front of her daughter's room, the door was already closed. She turned the handle and pushed, but it was locked. That infuriated her.

"Iphigenia, open up right now!" She shouted.

"No!"

"Open up, I said!"

"Go away!"

"Iphigenia, open this damn door this instant!"

"No! I don't want to speak to you! Leave!"

"You will speak with me, whether you want it or not!" Diana yelled and inhaled strongly, before proceeding to kick the door. The lock easily broke and the door fell down with a thud, taking the hinges and part of the doorway with it.

Iphigenia jumped up from her bed and looked at her mother in shock. "Mom! What the hell!"

Diana stepped inside and easily picked up the fallen door, leaning it against the wall. "I said you're going to speak with me."

"I don't want to." Iphigenia insisted and sat back on her bed, pushing her face to her pillow.

"Iphigenia, you will. You yelled at us and your behavior was unacceptable!"

"I don't care!"

"Did I raise you like that? Has anyone yelled at you like you did before?" Iphigenia remained silent. "Let me answer that for you." Diana said, approaching her bed. "No."

"I. Don't. Care!"

"Don't speak to me with that attitude!" Diana said, taking a seat at the bed. "We've been working like slaves to give you and your brother everything you want only to have you treat us like that!"

"What slaves?" Iphigenia almost shouted. "Dad inherited the company and you're a Princess!"

"How dare you!" Diana said, clenching her fists. "You think if your father hadn't worked at the Enterprise, he would still be sitting at the board table? You think I've been sitting around the house doing nothing? I have millions of people depending on me! And the world needs us to keep it safe!" Iphigenia mumbled something that Diana chose to ignore and went on. "In this house, we've taught you to settle everything by speaking calmly. I don't think we ever taught you to yell and be aggressive."

"That's rich, coming from people whose main jobs are punching the hell out of others!"

Diana got up, furious, and made her way to the door, not wanting to curse at her own daughter. She stood at the –once- doorway. "We 'punch the hell out of those others' just so you can sit on your fancy bed and mumble through your lacy pillow and speak ill of me, without worrying that your planet will be destroyed the next day. I'm so sorry to see you so ungrateful, Iphigenia. I didn't expect that of you. Maybe if you had less, you would understand what you have now and, trust me, you will regret those words soon."

Diana took two steps outside the bedroom when she heard Iphigenia call for her. "Mom?" She stopped. "Mom? Come inside." Diana crossed her arms over her chest and entered the bedroom once more. Iphigenia had sat up and cradled her pillow to her chest. "I'm…I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to say those things."

Diana arched an eyebrow and reclaimed her seat on the bed. "Why did you say them, then?"

"I don't know! I was angry at you and I said something that I knew would hurt you and I'm sorry!" Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You need to think before you speak. Others might not take them so lightly."

"Did you take it lightly?"

"No." Diana replied firmly. "I'm still very angry at you but I'm willing to talk it out."

"Please, mom, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I know that Dad and you risk your lives everyday and you're still here for us and I know that you work hard and it was unfair to speak about you like that!"

"Good thing you realize what you said. But words can't be taken back. Someone will hold them against you if you can't learn how to cleverly and calmly speak your mind."

"I said I was angry!"

"I'm angry too, but do you see me yelling at you?"

"…No."

"I am hurt at what you said and about how you acted before but…you're a good kid, Iphigenia. I know your mind is probably confused right now but that is no reason to take it out on us. We're here for you, and only you."

"But… Why did you forbid me from going out tonight?"

"We have our reasons, but you weren't so willing to listen to them. You just started shouting that you hated us and that we're ruining your life."

Iphigenia looked down and wiped her face on her pillow. "That was a bit harsh, I'm sorry."

"Saying you're sorry won't always fix things, Iphigenia."

"But I mean it!"

"I know, and that is why we'll forgive you, although you said all these horrible things."

"I don't know what got over me, mom. I was just so furious and the words just…slipped my mouth."

"Now that you're a bit calmer, will you tell me why you got so worked up before?"

"Because you won't let me go out tonight!"

"We won't let you go out where you want to go out. Do you know that that District is one of Gotham's most notorious ones? Do you think your father would ever let you roam around there?"

"But _everyone _will go and we'll be a big group and a chauffer will drive me to and from and-"

"It doesn't matter, Iphigenia. It's still too dangerous and I'm not risking it and that's the end of this discussion."

"But mom! All the kids will be there but me!"

"If all the kids jumped off a bridge, would you jump as well?"

"No, but-but that's different!"

"It's not. It's a matter of your safety."

"But I can take care of myself!"

"The fact that you can fight to an extent, doesn't guarantee you anything. Do you know how many times your father and I were close to being dead, no matter how well we knew how to fight?"

"…Countless."

"Exactly. Have I denied you many outings before, Iphigenia?"

"…No."

"Then don't act like you've been held a captive. Is spending the night with us so bad?"

"No, but I just really wanted to go to that park and-"

"It's not the park you wanted to visit, Iphigenia." Diana said meaningfully and Iphigenia gave her a good look. "It's someone you want to see."

The girl blushed a bit. "No…"

"Come on, now, my love. You can always talk to me. Who is it? Is it Archie?" Iphigenia frowned and averted her look and Diana knew she was right. Her daughter had almost the exact same reactions as Bruce. "Don't hide from me. I'm your mother, if you don't talk to me about these things, who will you talk to? If it matters, I think that Archie is a good kid and I'd very much like to help you if you'd only let me."

Iphigenia gave her mother a questioning look. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. I want you to have fun, as long as you keep yourself safe and you never, ever let anyone push into things you don't want to do…"

"That is certain, mom."

"Good. You see how everything gets better if we calmly talk it out?"

"Yes."

"And if you hadn't started yelling, you would have heard our counter-suggestion for your Saturday."

"Which is?"

"To invite your friends here. We'll all be in our rooms and you'll have the ground floor to yourselves. Alfred's an angel with the guests and I doubt there's something in the park that you can't find in the house."

"Can I? Can I invite them over?"

"I don't know if we'd still be so lenient now…"

"Come on, mom, please! I promise to never-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Iphigenia. You will be angry at us, as we'll be too, and we will have our fights but I need to know that you'll try to face them more maturely. You're fourteen now, you're not a kid."

"Yes, mom."

"Is there anything else you wish to say to me, baby?" Diana asked, pleased at where the conversation had led to. She had been angry but she knew that she could manage to communicate with Iphigenia. She remembered how going through puberty was like for her and knew that she would be a valuable consultant to her daughter. Iphigenia needed to know that she could trust her no matter what and hoped that today's fight had taught her a lesson. Sometimes, she and Bruce needed to be tough on their kids but they made sure to always explain to them why. Iphigenia's outburst was a first and Diana knew that she had to intervene and have a chat with her, just to show her that they can understand each other.

Iphigenia shrugged. "I don't know why I'm crying."

"It's good. Tears are therapeutic sometimes and you need to let them out. Don't be afraid to cry, or ashamed. It's normal."

"It's just there are so many things going on in my head and I don't know how to keep them in line!"

"I know! You're growing up and you're beginning to experience many new things, that you don't exactly know how to process. Sometimes it will seem too much, I understand."

"Oh, mom, can I share something with you?"

"You can share anything with me."

"Now that we spoke, I could totally understand what you were saying and I know that you're right, okay? I know it."

"Yes."

"But, there's this tiny little voice in my head that no matter what you say and no matter how I know that it's right, it's telling me to do the opposite, just because it's you telling me the right thing!"

Diana smiled and nodded. "I know exactly what you're saying. You see, Iphigenia, being a teenager is all about getting a bit more independent, right?"

"I suppose."

"Well, a step towards independence is not being glued to your parents and so this little voice is telling you to be reactive, just so you can take yourself away from us but you need to know this." Iphigenia paid close attention to her words. "That little voice is a little stupid at times. Although its purpose is to…ready you, in a way, for surviving on your own, it doesn't know much. You still need us, your parents, and this little voice will tell you to do many stupid things, just to get on our nerves. You need to apply reason, my love. Don't forget that Iphigenia controls her mind, and not the little voice. Remember to always think your actions over and tell this little voice to hush when you see that where it's pushing you is the wrong way. Your conscience will warn you about it, I'm sure."

Iphigenia nodded. "I will, mom. I will try. Thanks for not giving up on me."

Diana laughed. "What are you talking about? You're my daughter, I'd never give up on you! I love you!"

"And I love you too, mama."

"Give me a hug." Diana said and Iphigenia threw her pillow away, sharing a firm embrace with her mother.

"Were you like this too when you were fourteen?" Iphigenia asked.

"Oh, yes! And I wish Hippolyta had told me the things I just told you know. You won't believe how many fights they would have saved us."

"So you argued a lot?"

"An awful lot. But now we're better."

"I know. Grandma Hippolyta always speaks well of you."

"That is nice."

"Yes!"

"So, what do you say? Shall we go down to eat now?" Iphigenia nodded and they both got up. "Go wash your face."

"Yes, mom."

"Iphigenia, are you expecting your period?"

"In a couple of days, yes."

Diana nodded in understanding. You don't mess with puberty and hormone tantrums.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell Dad about Archie."

"Of course not, are you crazy?"

"Thanks." Iphigenia said and smiled at her mother.

Just when Thomas, Dick and Bruce exited the dining room, Diana and Iphigenia entered grinning, with Diana having her arm over her daughter's shoulders.

"Are you done, boys?" Diana asked.

"Yes…" Bruce replied, looking at them suspiciously.

"Good. We're going to grab our lunch now. See you later!" And so they entered the dining hall.

Bruce let his hand on Thomas' shoulder. "Women, my son. They were never explained, and will never be understood."

"Tell me about it…" Dick mumbled.

Thomas nodded in agreement, pretending to have understood his father's wisdom.

***A bit of a teenage mess there! I sincerely hope you liked it. Growing up certainly isn't easy! The next chapter-don't know when I'll be able to upload it- won't be too child-centered, but having our couple and their…protégés, mostly. Please let me know how you found it!***


	10. Chapter 10

***Somewhat inspired by two requests, the protégés chapter is being postponed so I can fit this one here and keep up the chronological order of the chapters. Thanks to everyone who read-faved-reviewed and I hope you enjoy this!***

**CHAPTER TEN**

"Ready, Toms?" Dick asked, tying the laces of his tracksuit pants.

"Err… I'm not so sure about this…" Thomas said hesitantly, upon seeing the gear of the Manor's gym. Dick was the one that used it, mostly, so it was fully equipped with all kinds of acrobatic devices.

"Come on, you asked for it." Dick insisted, warming up his shoulders.

"Can't I have some second thoughts?"

"No!" Dick said grinning and running to the opposite wall. He grabbed from some barely-there handles and climbed up the wall, reaching a high platform. "We'll start with the trapeze."

"Oh, boy…" the eleven-to-twelve year-old boy mumbled, watching his big brother show off. Dick untangled the trapeze from its handles and grabbed it, jumping off, as he started swinging. Thomas watched in awe, really, the young man go up and down the trapeze, hanging from his hands, from his feet, not holding anything and then jumping off, turning three times in mid-air and landing perfectly on his feet. He took a bow.

Thomas laughed and approached him. Dick grabbed the coming-to-a-halt trapeze and smiled at Thomas.

Dick was fully aware that Thomas admired him, like he did with his father and godfather. It was natural that Thomas would like to look like them as much as possible, although he didn't seem too keen in getting involved in athletic activities, unlike his sister. Academics were more of his thing and no matter how his parents seemed to tell him that there was no need in him getting all bulky, it was always a kind wish of his. Since summer vacations had begun and he had no homework, Dick had decided to help him fill some of his hours with some workout.

"Here." Dick said. "Hang from the trapeze and try to pull yourself up."

Thomas swallowed awkwardly. There was no way he could that, but he would give it a try. He jumped and luckily managed to grab the trapeze with his hands. It shook and Thomas didn't expect it to be this unstable. Taking a deep breath, he tried to pull himself up but all he did was shake, without managing to lift himself for more than some centimeters. Dick, his head reaching the level of the hanging trapeze, easily picked Thomas from his waist and helped him up the trapeze. Thomas sat on it, holding himself tightly from the ropes. He looked disappointed.

"Hey, sorry for asking you to do a pull-up." Dick said. "It's hard, even for people working out."

"It's okay…"

"Let us try this. You fall back and hang, holding the trapeze under your knees." Thomas gave him a questioning look. Dick winked at him and went to stand behind him. "Fall and I'll hold your back. Just grab the trapeze tightly with your legs."

Thomas trusted Dick, so he tensed his legs and let himself fall back. He felt Dick's hands on his shoulders, as he slowly let him down until he was finally hanging upside-down. He giggled, it was funny.

"Can you try pulling yourself up now? Use your hands too." Dick instructed, folding his hands.

Thomas struggled and managed to lift himself as far as he could go without feeling like his abs were going to break any second now. He stretched his hands and grabbed the trapeze, sitting himself up and panting.

"That was a good try!" Dick said. "Want to do it again?"

Thomas shook his head negatively. "Can't we do anything else?"

"Oh. Like what?"

The boy shrugged. "You're the expert down here."

Dick rubbed his chin. "Know what's fun and easy? The trampoline!"

"Oh, yes!" Thomas exclaimed. Dick picked him up from the trapeze and put him down, leading the way to the trampoline.

"Good thing the ceiling is high." Dick commented. "This thing can really shoot you up high, so be careful there, alright?" Thomas nodded. "I'll have my eye on you but you know… You have a thing for hurting yourself in every imaginable way possible."

Thomas chuckled awkwardly, acknowledging that his habit of dropping and hitting on things had accompanied him since the day he was born. "Climb up."

Thomas crawled on the trampoline and Dick helped him stand up. "Enjoy yourself!" Was the only thing the master acrobat said before starting to jump around. The trampoline surface vibrated with his jumps and Thomas soon started jumping too. His heart faltered a bit every time he was at the highest point of his jump but he got used to it and started laughing. Jumping made his tummy feel weird, but he enjoyed it and began moving a bit with each jump. Dick was jumping a good deal higher than him but then again, he was a good deal taller than him too.

Thomas frowned a bit at the thought, as his height frustrated him. His sister was a lot taller than him and his parents always said that girls grew taller sooner than boys and that she was older too, but that didn't soothe him. He wanted to be tall, pass her and pass his parents as well, but he didn't seem to grow much taller as the months passed.

His mind drifted away from those thoughts, when his eye caught Dick doing several figures. When he reached the peak of his jump, he spread his legs wide, touching his toes with his hands and landing perfectly again. On his next jump, he did two twirls and on his third, he turned around and landed on his back, getting shot back up, to land on his feet again.

"Don't try these!" He shouted, turning in mid-air.

"I couldn't, even if I wanted to!" Thomas shouted back, keeping doing his classic jumps.

"You know," Dick said, shooting back up, "you can try to do a turn!"

"No way!" Thomas squealed. "I'll kill myself!"

"It's not hard!" Dick insisted, jumping closer to him. "You won't do it like me, you'll fold yourself to turn around more quickly!"

"I-I'd rather not, Dick!"

"Alright, alright, I won't pressure you!"

Dick did a few more stunts and soon, they stopped jumping and sat by the edge of the trampoline, both somewhat sweaty.

"You don't really fancy this, uh?" Dick asked, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Not really, sorry…" Thomas said. "I'm just…not fit for this. I'll just stay short and skinny forever!" He pouted and Dick laughed. "What is so funny?!"

"You're so wrong, little brother."

"Why?"

"Because we're all late-bloomers. When I was still Robin, I was the shortest member of the team. I was toned, but skinny and my most profound characteristic was my huge ears."

"You?"

"Yes, me. Then some years passed and I grew much taller quickly and I finally got to build some muscles and here I am! I even grew into my ears!" He chucked.

"So you think that I can be like that too?" Thomas asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Of course! Both of your parents are tall, and your sister as well. It's only a matter of time and patience."

Thomas nodded. "I see…"

"Although you shouldn't be this concerned about it. Focus on your studies, you're a real talent!"

"Mr. Fox is teaching me well." Thomas said, blushing slightly.

"Oh, Lucius is a blessing! You're his favorite, you know."

"Really?!"

"Of course. He's boasting like a peacock when he talks about you. Between you and me…" Dick said, lowering his voice.

"What?" Thomas asked whispering.

"He thinks you'll run the company one day."

"Me? Wow!"

Dick shook his head. "I honestly don't know how you get so excited about finance and graphs and stuff like these."

"But they're so interesting and exciting and-"

"Spare me, Tommy."

"Alright…"

"Hey, want to go play some Quid?"

"Yes!" Thomas said, jumping to the floor and Dick led the way upstairs. They entered the small library and Dick turned the TV on, handing a controller to Thomas. The screen lit up and the official 'Harry Potter' logo showed up on the screen. The game was an electronic version of Quidditch, played almost like the Soccer Pro one. Magic was involved in gameplay, though, which included many complicated combo button pushes to perform the actions, but none of the kids had any problems in grasping them quickly. Thomas traditionally picked the Hufflepuff team and Dick the Slytherin one, since the game was new and they were still in the school league before they could unlock the professional teams.

While the small introductory video played, Dick nudged Thomas.

"What?" Thomas asked, watching Madame Hooch explain the game.

"I didn't ask you. How's it going with the girls?"

"What girls?" The boy asked, frowning a bit.

"At your school, I suppose. Don't you have a little girlfriend?"

"No!"

"What? Unbelievable!"

"I…I like someone but she's stupid!"

Dick laughed. "Cliché, Tom. Why is she stupid?"

Thomas shrugged. "Because she likes George Paddington."

Dick nodded in comprehension. "A great argument."

"Then," Thomas went on, "Cathy and Hailey like me and Cole told me that Nora told him that Casey and Alicia fought because they both like me too but I don't believe him, because once he told us that he owns a horse with a marble stable and of course he doesn't."

"So we've got four girls with crushes on you. You almost compete with me at your age!" Thomas looked at him from the corner of his eye and Dick laughed. "I guess with looks like yours, it was meant to happen."

"What with my looks?"

"You're quite handsome, pal. That's all."

"I'm short and skinny!"

"You have your mother's eyes and look exactly like Dad. Trust me, Thomas, it's a deadly combination."

Thomas shrugged and pressed 'A' on his controller, letting the game begin. The digital Madam Hooch released the balls and all talks about girls were cut short. It was a serious match now.

***I'm sorry that it's so short but I don't have much time to write more because I'm leaving in a bit. I don't know when I'll update again, but it can't be too long. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading. If you liked, leave me a small review!***


	11. Chapter 11

***Hey lovelies! I don't have a stable internet connection BUT I will write some chapters and try to upload them with my mobile one. Thanks for all your feedback on the story so far and I hope you like this. Thanks for reading!**

**PS.: I am going to mention SuperBoy here, as he's appearing in Young Justice, I have my reasons. For those not familiar with him, he shares half of Superman's DNA and was a genetic experiment of the Lex Lab (or whatever its name was). His name is Connor, has several anger management issues, and Batman and Superman had had a small argument over him, as Batman pressured Superman to try and be a father figure to the boy. (Yes, it happened.)***

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Diana's eyes scanned the all-too-familiar-now cafeteria of the League's Satellite, trying to remember the names of some newcomers. Somewhere between the new recruits and her children's ever-growing number of new friends, her memory struggled to contain all the names.

"What are you thinking?" Batman asked, from the other side of the round table, watching her closely, like always.

"If that girl's name was Physic or-"

"Fusion."

"Oh, right, yes. I bet you've already doublechecked her background, uh?" Batman nodded. "I was sure."

Diana pushed some wild strands of jet black hair behind her ear and shuffled her spaghetti with her fork. "Alfred's cooking has spoiled every other meal for me…"

"Tell me about it." He agreed, cutting a slice of bread in half and taking a bite.

Diana gave him a good look and smiled to herself, liking how her loving husband hid behind the mask of the Batman. The whole League knew, of course, that they were together, but they supposed Diana tolerated his brooding for a reason they couldn't quite understand. Diana and Bruce knew, though, that he was a much lighter person when they were just…Diana and Bruce. She liked this little double-life status they had; made their lives spicy.

"So, are we doing it?" Diana asked, giving him a meaningful look.

Bruce frowned but nodded positively. "We have to, it's only reasonable."

"Isn't a bit too soon, though?"

"Diana, you said it so yourself last night."

"Yes, I know. We're still uncertain of whether there'll be a tomorrow for us, yes."

"The perks of being a superhero."

Diana shrugged. "I just hope the girls have given it some thought yet. I can't pick."

"It's still better that the girls are both experienced and seasoned warriors of the League, and there isn't another _suit suitor_ for you…" Bruce gave her a good look.

Diana nodded thoughtfully. He was right. "Yes, luckily. She will write her own future, and… I'm glad she'll stay safe."

Bruce turned his looked to his disk. "I was always afraid she'd try to follow our choice of lifestyle…"

Diana stretched out her hand and cupped his over the table surface. "Our choice was a brave one. She will benefit the world too, in her own way. She is a logical child."

"Although I doubt you can call her a child anymore."

Diana withdrew her hand and half-smiled. "Of course. Iphigenia's an adult now." She laughed. "Still can't get it in my head."

"I can't either!" Clark Kent exclaimed, throwing his disk on their table and sitting down. "Iphigenia an adult!"

"Eavesdropping again?" Bruce commented.

"No, no, just heard Diana's last statement."

"Yeah right."

"How's silly Dad of the year?" Diana asked grinning and Clark blushed.

"Don't know who you're referring to, Diana…"

She gave him a good nudge and they laughed together.

"So," Clark said, swallowing a big chunk of spaghetti with sauce, "were you talking about _the issue _again?"

"We're going for it." Diana announced.

"Finally a definite response."

"Wouldn't you do it in our shoes?"

"I would have done it long ago."

"Well, then." Diana said, getting up. "I'll get going. See you later, boys." With that, she marched away.

"So, when are you inviting me over for dinner?" Clark asked.

"Why should I invite you over for dinner?"

"Because I'm the godfather of your son and because I haven't eaten Alfred's cuisine in some months now."

Bruce arched an eyebrow. "Not liking Lois' cooking much?"

"No, no, it's not that, it's just that-"

"That you don't like her cooking."

"No, damn it!"-Bruce snorted-"It's just that now with the baby and all, Lois doesn't have much time to get busy with cooking and I've been eating much junk food lately –not that I complain, but I'd like something different, just for change."

"I'll tell Alfred to arrange it."

"Thank you, my friend. You never disappoint me."

"Speaking of disappointment, how are you doing with Connor?"

Clark rolled his eyes. "Well. I even took him for baseball."

"How nice." Bruce said bluntly.

"I'm trying, okay?"

Bruce shrugged. "Is he living with you? Is he your family?"

"..No."

"Then you're not trying hard enough."

"Sorry for not going around, gathering forsaken orphans and training them in my basement, Bruce."

"That's not what I meant."

Clark sighed deeply. "I said I'm trying and I am. He's not an easy boy but I'm doing my best."

"Anyhow." Bruce said. "I wanted to tell you that the lab Iphigenia's practicing at has finally managed to find a substance that will subdue his non-aging genes."

"Really?!" Bruce nodded. "That's amazing! He'll go crazy when I tell him!"

"Maybe you shouldn't, after all…"

"Crazy in a good way, for crying out loud!"

"Yes…"

"You're incorrigible."

Bruce stood up. "I'll go find Dick. You finish your lunch off, it's better than junk food."

Clark huffed and shook his head.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Donna, can I have a word?" Diana asked, having opened the door to the Titans' common room.

"Excuse me, guys." Donna said and approached her. Behind Diana, she noticed Cassie as well.

"How can I be of service, Diana?" Donna asked.

"I need to have a small talk with you, ladies."

"What about?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Follow me."

Soon, Diana led them to her previous chambers and shut the door firmly after they had all come inside, knowing they'd be vacant. The new girl, Fusion, was to stay there now.

"It's been years since I've stayed in here…" Diana mumbled.

"Who'd stay here when she could live at the Wayne Manor?" Cassie said, smiling.

"So," Diana said, getting to the point, "there's something that I've been wanting to discuss with you."

Noticing Diana's serious demeanor, Donna worried a bit. "Has anything happened?"

"No, we just need to settle something between us."

"Oh, okay."

"Time has been flying around here, hasn't it?" Diana said, half-smiling.

"Yeah!" Cassie exclaimed.

"And time adds years to our backs, doesn't it?"

"Where are you taking this?" Donna asked, frowning.

"You're not retiring?!" Cassie said, in horror.

"No!" Diana said decisively. "I'm not retiring, I'm not that old!"

"You're still so young!" Cassie said.

"I'm not 'so young', but I'm not old enough to retire. This body can still fight for its planet!"

"And a hell of a fight it can give…" Donna said, folding her hands over her chest.

"Thank you for your kind words." Diana replied.

"These are not compliments!" Cassie argued. "They're simply the truth."

"Fine, fine. Anyway. I was saying that time adds years to us and that being a superhero comes with the price of not knowing whether you'll wake up to another sunrise ever again, right?"

"Yes." Her protégées said simultaneously.

"I was wondering what would become of the Wonder suit and the Wonder Woman legacy, should I either retire or die."

"She spits it so mercilessly!" Cassie said, shuffling in her position. "You're not going to die!"

"Cassie, be serious, please." Diana said.

"I am! If an enemy is powerful enough to kill _you_, who has a chance against him anyhow?"

"Don't be so naïve, my child. There are people here that I know can stop anyone but there are people out there that can kill anyone too." Cassie mumbled something but Diana went on. "I want one of you to take the Wonder suit."

Both of the girls' faces turned grave as they dived deep into their own thoughts and desires. The Wonder suit wasn't something that was given every day. It came with tremendous powers but heavy responsibilities too. Should one of them take it, she would have to abandon here old identity and become Wonder Woman, one of Earth's mightiest heroes.

"Don't you wish to leave it to Iphigenia?" Donna inquired.

Diana laughed shortly. "No, no! You and I, my girls, have chosen the path of protecting the world by risking our lives and it was a conscious decision, but it is a path that I wish for none of my children. They will do good, but however they like. Iphigenia doesn't wish to have the Wonder suit, and I don't wish for her to have it either. You're both experienced Amazons and superheroines, the suit should rightfully go to one of you."

"Which one?" Cassie asked.

"I cannot decide. You're both valiant and brave warriors and I bet that if we were to put both of your assets down, we would have come to a tie between you. If I decide, it'd be like undermining one's abilities!"

"No, we won't take it personally." Cassie insisted but Diana insisted more.

"This isn't like granting a power boost to one of you. This suit comes with a new position and a new life and new duties. Don't take it lightly, so I'll leave the decision to you. Should I let you two alone to discuss?"

"No." Donna said. "Just give us some seconds."

Donna kept biting her lower lip and Cassie opened and closed her mouth every two seconds. They exchanged a few glances until they finally nodded to each other and turned to Diana.

"I'll take it." Donna declared, her face as serious as ever.

Diana half-smiled. "Very well. How come you've come to this decision?"

"It was obvious." Cassie said, grinning. "She's serious and more mature and, all in all, more 'fit' for the job of Earth's ultimate superheroine. I want to remain Wonder Girl. This is what I was born for and I'll always be there for Wonder Woman, whether that is you, or her."

Diana hugged both of her girls firmly. They had made the best decision and she was immensely glad to see that they were both mature enough not to be attracted by the power, but being able to take into account all the other factors as well. "You'll both be wonderful, I know."

"Not to mention that she looks more like you, with the black hair and stuff…" The blonde said and they laughed.

"One question, though." Donna said.

"What, my child?"

"What will become of my position once you…you leave the suit to me?"

"I'm sure that one of our sisters would gladly come join the League in your seat, Donna. And when that time comes, you'll know how to train her and how to face everything. I've prepared you for this."

Donna smiled slightly and nodded. Diana hugged them again. "Don't forget, also, that in the case of my retirement, I'll always be there as your consultant. I'll always be there for you."

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Deux cappuccinos au lait, s'il-vous-plait." (Two cappuccinos with milk, please.) Bruce ordered, in his perfect French accent.

"Merci, monsieur." (Thank you, sir.) The garcon replied and left.

The small café in Montmartre was one of their favorite's spots in the planet. The small black tables were shielded from the sun, placed under the shade of the red-and-white striped tent. Some freshly cut roses in a small vase on their table filled the air around them with their beautiful scent. Diana inhaled deeply through her nose and smiled, fixing her silk foulard over her long neck.

"And this is how the talk went." She concluded, looking around at the picturesque town.

"I knew it'd be Donna." Bruce said, pushing his aviator sunglasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Now that I think of it, it's better off with her. She'll be a good Wonder Woman, don't you think?" Bruce nodded. "And how did Dick take your announcement?"

"Well."

"Elaborate a bit, _mon amour_." Diana said, rolling her eyes behind her shades.

"He said he understood that Batman is more like an idea, rather than a specific person and agreed that there should always be a Batman to guard Gotham."

"And?"

"He also agreed to become the Batman when I'm too old or too dead to continue."

Diana chuckled a bit. "Good, good. And what about Nightwing?"

"Oh, he said he intended to 'keep Nightwing's copyrights even as Batman'." It's his very own special thing, he said."

"I can live with that."

"Naturally. Anyone could fill his position with another name and uniform. That's the least bit."

"Everything is settled, then!" Diana exclaimed happily.

"No, not everything."

"What is left?"

Bruce half-smiled. "I heard of a certain wedding anniversary coming up…"

"Oh…That…" She said, looking at him slyly. "And what do you have in mind?"

"I also heard that Japan is particularly pretty this time of the year. The Sakuras blossom."

"Oh, Japan. Yes. Let's do it."

"Shall I book it, then?"

"Of course. J'onn has already noted our leave then."

"Perfect."

"Oh, I have some new kimonos I've been dying to wear. I look good in them."

"You look good in everything, Diana."

"Why, thank you, you flirt."

"And even better in nothing." He said playfully, when he heard the garcon clear his throat behind them and barely containing a giggle.

"Here are your drinks." He said in French-accent English, letting them know he had understood them. He placed their cappuccinos on their table and left. They exchanged an embarrassed look and laughed, playing with their tangled fingers under the table.

***I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a small review!**

**I don't know when I'll be updating again, but I honestly want to believe that it'll be sooner than now. Thanks for waiting!***


	12. Chapter 12

***Dear readers, I'm glad you enjoyed that last chapter. I try to take into account your requests but I can't always fit them in the course of the story, so I need to adjust them first. Bear with me.**

**With bittersweet feelings, I announce that the next- not this- chapter will be the last of this series of light, family BMWW ones. As much as I'd like to keep on giving you chapters, every story needs to have an end, right? And truth be told, I don't really have many ideas on writing about Diana and Bruce as pensioners. You can suppose they played cards with Alfred every afternoon, travelling to the League Tower occasionally and spending time with their grandchildren. So, to commemorate the lovely time I have had writing these for you, I intend to make this chapter almost like a double one, having two 'stories'. As always, thanks for reading and if you like it, leave me a review. See you at the end!***

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Part One**

Alfred spread the front doors open and smiled widely, upon seeing the two royal women approaching. Once Hippolyta was up the stairs, he bowed deeply and she laughed a hearty laugh.

"Oh, Alfred, don't you think we're past the bowing now?" The Amazon Queen said, passing from him and letting her lush, white tunic graze the marble floors.

"No, not at all, your Majesty." He said, starting to follow her but turning his head back and running to the front door again. "Princess! Please give me the bag!"

"Please, Alfred." Diana said, refusing his offer. Her mother's luggage was as light as ever and of course she was more capable of lifting weights than Alfred.

"As you wish, my lady." Alfred said, striding to Hippolyta again. "I hope you'll find the Manor of your taste." Diana in the background, barely contained a giggle.

"My friend," the Queen said, "the Manor is bigger than my palace. I'm sure I'll find it quite of my taste." Alfred nodded in understanding.

Hippolyta was, in general, very reluctant towards leaving Themyscira for reasons like visiting the children of her somewhat-exiled daughter, but all of the Amazons understood and let her leave with nothing but positive feelings. The trips were rare, too, so there wasn't a problem at all. Most of the times, besides, she met with her grandchildren at their cottage in Greece and she was back in Themyscira in no time. This was the second time she was visiting them abroad, though, and the first time she came to Gotham. See, Iphigenia's college wasn't in Gotham, so her graduation two years ago was held in New York, at her college. Little Thomas, though, was in Gotham College, so they would be in their hometown and Hippolyta would finally get to visit their house.

She was, deep down, extremely proud of her grandchildren. They had both been accepted into College before turning eighteen and Iphigenia graduated at nineteen and now Thomas was graduating at eighteen. They had several dreams for their career and, as she didn't know much on that subject, appeared to be supportive of everything, claiming that their degrees would certainly open doors to many prestigious positions. Their parents said so themselves, so she supposed they were right.

"When is the ceremony to happen, my child?" Hippolyta said, once Diana left her bag on the floor of her guest room.

"Tomorrow. Get some rest for now, we'll have dinner together tonight."

Hippolyta nodded and Diana exited the room with a smile.

Her daughter had grown quite a lot since she left Themyscira. Hippolyta hadn't quite approved her choice but Diana was very strong willed and, well, she was satisfied with her life. The Queen of the Amazons, though, was just a bit saddened with seeing her daughter age. It was a necessary evil, since she had forsaken her immortality, but an evil nonetheless. She looked younger than she was, of course, but that wasn't important.

Hippolyta brushed those thoughts away, thinking that she would still live longer than normal humans and she would get to see many of her grand-grandchildren at least. With that, she went for the luxurious double bed.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Where's the man of the day?" Hippolyta asked after they had all sat down at the dining table.

"He's a busy boy!" Diana replied.

"Let me call him." Bruce said, taking his phone out. He pressed a button and the dial tone came from the speaker.

"_Yes, Dad?"_ A mature voice picked it up.

"Where are you?"

"_I'm driving home. The traffic is horrible."_

"Where were you?"

"_Enough with the parental control, Dad. I'm eighteen."_

"Your grandmother is waiting for you, Thomas. I'm not 'parental controlling' you."

"_Oh. Well, I needed to settle some things for the ceremony, nothing much. Don't wait up for me, start eating and I'll be back when I'll be back."_

"Very well."

"_Bye, Dad."_

Bruce hung up and put his phone down. "We'll start, and he'll be home soon."

"Oh well." Diana said, shrugging, and grabbing her fork. "You heard him. Let's begin!"

"Thank you, Alfred, for the incredible dinner!" Dick said, licking his lips, before swallowing a big chunk of marinated chicken.

"It was my pleasure." The butler replied.

Hippolyta gave Dick a side glance, gently munching on some Italian pasta. She would never, ever manage to understand that man's age. She had seen him numerous times, from Diana's wedding, to their summer vacations and Iphigenia's graduation, but she could never guess how old he was. Diana had told her that he is a member of the family, much like an older brother to the kids, and there wasn't much the Queen could say on that. She did wonder, though, if he was involved in dark magic practices, as he didn't seem to age; he always stayed the same. The kids seemed to love him very much, and he was indeed very kind to her, but Hippolyta would always be troubled about him.

Diana laughed internally, watching her mother glance at Dick, knowing what was going through her mind, as she had shared her thoughts with her before. She was surprised that Hippolyta was more preoccupied with the seemingly non-aging Dick, and not the literally non-aging Connor, sitting just a across of her.

The young man was staring at his plate, eating silently, trying to avoid anyone's eyes. Iphigenia, by his side, was quite talkative tonight and seemed to engage in conversation with anyone. She kept caressing his hand every few minutes and Diana smiled, knowing that she was quite happy with Connor. Although they had met accidentally and Connor wasn't exactly social, Iphigenia was attracted to him from the very first moment. She was the perfect woman for challenges and he was, indeed, a challenge that she pulled through. Diana also knew that Connor, though not too expressive, loved her daughter fiercely and he was something like Clark's son, which was a good thing, in retrospect. She didn't judge him just because he appeared to be unsocial and brooding and hot-headed. Much like her daughter, she had decided to love a man like that too, and she knew firsthand that happiness is subjective and appearances trick. Her husband, though brooding and unsocial and hot-headed as well, made her happy and she loved him more than anything, as she knew he did too. So she felt happy for Iphigenia. Bruce, on the other hand, not so much.

Diana always had a good laugh with Iphigenia when it came to Bruce and Connor. At first, Bruce had pressured Clark to work with Connor and had bothered to check on the boy himself too, acknowledging his virtues. He knew that Dick was his friend and could guarantee of the quality of his character too and that he wasn't a lost cause. He had also funded the research on the non-aging genes suppressing substances, allowing his daughter to practice at that lab too. But when Iphigenia announced that she was with Connor as a couple a year after they met, Bruce felt like losing the ground under his feet. Suddenly, Connor was unstable, untrustworthy, violent, a Neanderthal and definitely not suited for his precious daughter. Diana and Iphigenia had sided together, though, and there wasn't much he could do. Dick and Thomas approved and Alfred was neutral, so he couldn't find any allies.

"So, you'll be staying over, Connor, yes?" Diana asked, trying to engage him in some sort of conversation.

Connor hesitantly lifted his head and nodded. "Yes, I hope I'm not a burden."

"Of course not!" Diana said, shaking her hands. "Don't ever say that again."

"Thank you very much. Thank you for your hospitality and care, sir." He said, turning to Alfred.

"You're most welcome, my child. Do you like the meal?"

"It is perfect, thank you."

"I'm glad." Alfred replied, smiling lightly under his moustache.

Diana bit her lip, trying not to giggle loudly, after seeing the look Bruce gave the boy. It was cold and hostile and could have pierced through anyone. Yet no one seemed to bother with him, still thinking that Iphigenia was a child, even though she was marching through the twenty first year of her life. Diana kicked his shin underneath the table and he averted his eyes to her.

Diana smiled gently and whispered in Greek to him. "Not very nice to look at your guests like that."

"He is not my guest." Bruce replied in Greek too. "He's your daughter's guest."

"It's your daughter too and your Manor too, so be silent and stop glaring at poor Connor."

Bruce growled and turned to his wine.

"Are you studying, Connor?" Hippolyta asked, taking everyone by surprise, as no one expected her to take any interest in him.

"Um, no, I am with the League." Connor replied.

Hippolyta shook her head, making a 'tsk' sound with her mouth. "You'll fit right in. Nothing but superheroes and businessmen in this family." She smiled and Connor smiled timidly back. Hippolyta had examined the Wayne history when Diana announced her engagement to Bruce, and soon discovered the Wayne Enterprise legacy, that her grandson would continue.

"And law enforcement!" Dick said, high-fiving Iphigenia.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Are you certain that I don't look ridiculous in this?" Hippolyta asked, fiddling with her hat.

"No, mother. It's just a hat."

"A big hat."

Diana didn't reply and turned her look on the stage. The podium and the chairs were ready and the ceremony would shortly commence. A whole row of seats was occupied with Thomas' family and friends. Hippolyta, Diana, Bruce, Iphigenia and Connor, Lois, Clark and son, Dick, Barbara, Alfred, Lucius Fox, John Stewart and J'onn, Dinah and Shayera with the twins, along with a couple other friends of Thomas.

A professor in a black suit climbed up the podium and tested the microphone. Alfred readied his camera.

As the professor gave the initial speech, Diana turned to Bruce.

"Happy much for your son? I know I am."

"Yes."

"I think he'll be a precious asset to the Wayne board."

"He will. He's a Wayne and a marketing genius."

"Or at least Lucius says so."

"And Lucius knows."

Diana shrugged. "I suppose. And it's a good career. He'll be successful."

"As long as money doesn't blind him, he'll be fine."

"It won't. Thomas is a thoughtful and kind-hearted kid. He'll do wonders with his money, I know."

"He does resemble Thomas Senior…"

"What are you mumbling about?" Hippolyta intervened, nudging her daughter. Bruce rolled his eyes at his 'beloved' mother-in-law.

"Thomas."

"Pay attention to the man's speech, it's very nice."

Diana didn't comment, as Hippolyta wasn't quite familiar with the typical graduating speeches, and it was natural that a cheesy monologue would appear fancy to her. Soon, the speech was over and the roll call began. They waited patiently, since the calling was alphabetically.

"Ward Paul, Mathematics and Applied Sciences." The Professor announced. A stout man climbed up the stairs, received his degree, waved at his family and took a seat among the rest of the graduates.

"Here he comes!" Clark said loud enough for the whole row to hear. His infant son squealed from his lap.

"Wayne Thomas, Business and Economics." The man said and they all applauded loudly while Alfred's finger abused the button of the camera. A tall and toned man walked on the stage, waving confidently at them. Dick whistled loudly and Thomas laughed. He appeared handsome, with dense black hair combed carefully and a pair of clear blue eyes under a pair of well-shaped but dense eyebrows. He received his degree, shaking the hand of the Professor and taking a seat as well.

"The little brat is so handsome!" Iphigenia said and mentally, Hippolyta and Diana agreed. Their little boy was a grown man now, and a very charming one.

After all of the degrees were handed out and the ceremony was about to end, the graduates stood up. The professor wished them all a good course in their lives and the crowd cheered as dozens of hats filled the sky over the stage.

Soon, Thomas joined them and was greeted with a barrage of hugs and congratulatory hand shakes. He embraced his father and mother, towering over them, and mumbled a 'thank you', knowing only his parents could hear him. Diana cupped his face and looked adoringly at it, almost shedding some tears. Bruce tapped his shoulder and nodded. Thomas knew that that meant that he was very proud of him.

"Photographs. Now." Alfred ordered.

No one dared interfere with the butler's photography, so the memory card was soon filled with pictures of Thomas in his blue graduation robes with everyone separately and then in groups. Alfred's personal favorite had Thomas grinning widely, having passed his hands over the shoulders of his parents –now being a good deal taller than both of them, and Iphigenia standing next to her mother. They all smiled, even Bruce seemed to have a wide grin, and looked at the camera, happy and beautiful. Alfred was going to print this one and the one he was alone with Thomas and place it in his personal album, right after the photos of his sister's graduation.

"Let's take one altogether!" John suggested and they all agreed.

"Allow me to take it." Alfred said but the rest disagreed.

"We said altogether, Alfred." Clark insisted.

"Fine, fine."

Soon, they found a father of another graduate willing to help them out. After Alfred meticulously explained to him how to press the button of his beloved camera, they lined up.

"I… I can't quite fit you all in the frame without walking a mile away!" The man said and so, they positioned themselves like a soccer team taking a group photo. Bruce, Clark, John, J'onn, Lucius, Dick and Thomas' friends kneeled in front and the rest stood behind them. "Say cheese!" They all grinned and the man pressed the button, capturing the moment.

Alfred quickly reclaimed his camera and took a look at the photo, deciding that it also deserved a place in his album.

"Get ready for a big promotion and a big salary raise, young man!" Lucius told Thomas, after J'onn was done congratulating him again. "College degrees can work miracles."

"And can ruin people…" Thomas said somewhat bitterly.

"What do you mean, Thomas?"

"I mean that so many of the students graduating with me are so deep in college debts, it's sad. I don't even know if they will ever be able to pay them back with level-entry jobs."

Lucius nodded "It is sad, indeed. Luckily, you are in a much better position."

"Me, yes of course. I'm a Wayne, with a high-paying job already, but, you know… It's not like that for everyone."

A couple of meters away, Bruce heard Thomas' words. He shared a look with Diana, she nodded, and soon was off to find the Professor. Just when the first people were about to leave, the Professor climbed up the stage again.

"May I have your attention, please. I have a last-moment announcement to make. Kind Mister Bruce Wayne just offered to pay off every graduate's loans debt."

Loud mumbling came from the crowd. Some cheered, some hugged each other, a mother even burst out in tears. Thomas turned to see his father casually chatting with his mother and grandmother and smiled. He wanted to be such a man one day.

"So much like his father…" Bruce heard an old man say when they were leaving and half-smiled, clutching Diana's hand.

**Part Two**

"Diana, what on Earth do you mean you can't take me back?!" Hippolyta shouted in Greek at her daughter.

Diana had a devilish grin on her face. "I mean that I will be taking the jet and leaving for Japan in two hours and I can't take you to Themyscira now." She said in Greek too.

"You promised you'd take me back!"

"And I will, when I return. You will stay here with the children and Alfred."

"You-"

"Mother, don't throw such a fit. We will be back in four days and I will get you back."

"You didn't tell me this when you asked me to come!"

"That's because I want you to stay here a bit. The children asked so themselves, they want to spend some time with their grandmother."

"Diana, this is hardly an argument on doing this to me!"

"What am I doing exactly? Is staying in this amazing house with your grandchildren so dreadful?"

"That's not what I said."

"It is what you implied. Listen, I deserve this trip and I'm not cancelling it to get you back to Themyscira when you have nothing important to do."

"How d-"

"Come on, mother. It's summer, not even the villains are at work and we both know the days there go by as smoothly as ever. I've lived there, I know."

"Diana…"

"Come on, mama. I was supposed to go on this trip three years ago, but the Sinestro Corps thought differently and one thing brought the other and I haven't been on a single trip with Bruce for over five years. I need it."

Hippolyta sighed and hung her shoulders down. "This is framing the Queen, you know. This is treason!" She said, somewhat playfully.

"And what are you going to do?" Diana said, playfully too. "Exile me? I'm already an exile. You're also in my country, so officially on foreign grounds, and you have no power here."

"Little Diana grew up and speaks back to her mother…"

"I grew up a long time ago." Diana said smiling and exiting the guest room. Outside, Thomas and Iphigenia had shamelessly eavesdropped on their conversation and nodded happily at her. She shook her head and headed to the jet, to make the final checks.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Konichua, Mr. Wayne and Mrs. Prince." The secretary of the five-star hotel greeted them. "Did you have a pleasant trip?"

"Yes, yes." Diana replied.

"I'm glad. Now, here are your room cards. Your jet will remain parked in spot number five for the whole of your stay with us. For any complaints or requests, just dial nine on your phone and you will be connected to the secretariat."

"Thank you." Bruce said, taking the room cards. They used the spacious elevator and went to the tenth floor, easily finding their suite. Their luggage was already inside.

"What a nice room!" Diana said, observing the pieces of Japanese art decorating the walls.

Bruce went straight to the mini-bar and took a vial of whiskey out. "Perfect."

Diana seeing it, winked at him and headed for her suitcase. "You pour it and I'll go take a quick shower, alright?"

Bruce nodded. Diana disregarded her garments, throwing them on the bed and entered the bathroom. As soon he heard the hot water running, Bruce abandoned the whiskey, took off his clothes too and entered the bathroom as well.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Unbelievable…" Thomas mumbled.

The old-fashioned lamp hung over the round table, shedding its light around them. Four stern faces looked carefully at each other and then at the cards lying on the green tablecloth. Piles of casino marks were gathered in front of Hippolyta and Alfred. Iphigenia and Thomas were left with very few. None of them expected the newbie Queen and the resourceful butler to have such unreadable poker faces and be this good.

"Fold." Iphigenia said.

A satanic grin spread over Hippolyta's face, as she pushed all of her marks in front. "All in."

Thomas' jaw dropped. Alfred simply raised an eyebrow.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

Diana never expected a shrine to be this beautiful.

The clean paths were very welcoming to visitors. Tall trees, filled with green leaves and flowers created a breathtaking scenery. The shrine huts were further inside, very near a small river running through the park. Small wooden bridges helped visitors cross it.

Bruce took her hand and led them inside, walking underneath the trees and taking photos. They reached the shrine huts, watching some local girls tending them and Bruce led them just behind the main shrine hut. They passed a small bridge and just after that, Diana saw several splashes of pink among the green trees and realized why Bruce wanted them to move further. They walked a bit more, until pink blossoms completely hid the sky from them.

Diana took a look in front, seeing a long, straight path, paved with blossoming cherry trees, sakuras. A light scent filled their nostrils and a small breeze shook the blossoms, bringing down rays of pink petals. Diana absentmindedly giggled. When her eyes took enough of the image in, she felt Bruce's hand brush against her face and turned to him. He pushed her hair behind her ear and placed a big, bright pink blossom there.

Diana smiled gently at him and leaned in, to kiss him tenderly. A gush of wind ruffled her kimono and her hair and when they stopped kissing, she pouted, stroking her hair. "I lost my blossom!"

Bruce half-smiled. "Doesn't matter, Princess."

"But it was so pretty…"

"You're the prettiest of all the blossoms I see."

"Aw, stop it you!" She said, her cheeks turning the shade of the flowers. She snatched his hand and they started walking the sakura path.

Somewhere along the way, she gave him a light nudge with her shoulder.

"Mm, what?"

"I love you."

"And I love you too."

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"And that was the story of how Ares tried to destroy our island and your mother stopped him." Hippolyta said, taking a sip from her 'Americano' coffee. Alfred really did make it good.

"She's cool." Thomas said, diving underneath Hippolyta's floating pool chair and coming up on the other side, to splash his sister.

Alfred, in a long pair of swimming bermudas, sat by the poolside, dipping his feet inside, trying to remember if he had applied sunblock to his receding hairline or not.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

Bruce opened the light books like they were something from another planet. He really couldn't understand a word, or even if he did, he doubted he'd find any of these interesting. Yet his daughter seemed to be obsessing over them.

"So you're telling me," he told his wife, "that Iphigenia reads and loves this thing that I'm holding right now."

"Yes, my love." Diana said, having her embrace filled with manga tomes. The queue to the checkout wasn't long, but they had to wait a bit.

"I really don't understand her."

"Neither do I but she really did want all of these."

"In Japanese."

"In Japanese. Have you forgotten that your daughter is fluent in Japanese as well?"

"No, I remember."

"Then don't wonder anymore."

"But she's a twenty-one-year-old woman, specializing in forensic science! What interest could she have in these…comics?"

"Everybody has hobbies and interests, Bruce. Relax."

Bruce shook his head and handed the booklet to the cashier, as Diana let the dozens of manga tomes down. Bruce took his credit card out.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"And they do this every afternoon?" Hippolyta asked Alfred.

"Not every afternoon, but as often as they can."

Hippolyta nodded and turned her attention to the rose bushes again. "I really like the work you've done with this garden."

"Why, thank you, your Highness."

"Oh, enough with the 'your Highness'."

"What is it with you and your daughter not accepting your rightful titles?"

"They're weird when they're coming from a friend, Alfred."

"Will you accept me calling you 'my lady', then?"

"I suppose."

"Well, then, my lady."

Hippolyta smiled, as Thomas yelled across the garden at his sister and tried to grab her shirt. Iphigenia dodged his hand, though, and was soon running even further in front of him, passing from Hippolyta's and Alfred's spot like a flash of light. Thomas ran behind her fast too.

"I'm not losing this race!" He shouted and Iphigenia laughed loudly.

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

"Sushi and sake. Wonderful!" Diana exclaimed, looking at the exquisite dishes.

"Let's have a toast to this nice get-away." Bruce said. They lifted their glasses, toasted, and drunk their first sake shot. It burned their throats pleasantly.

Diana took a bite of her salmon sushi, closing her eyes in delight. "Mm, so very tasty…" She mumbled. Bruce watched her facial expressions and smiled to himself, swallowing one of his mixed-fish sushi bites. "How did you know this restaurant?"

"Lucius suggested it. Said it makes the best sushi he's ever had."

"Well, he was right. Damn. It's amazing." Diana agreed, eating some more.

"So, I bought you something to commemorate this trip." Bruce said and caught Diana's attention.

She wiped her lips with her white napkin and looked at him frowning. "What is it?"

"Give me your hand."

Guessing, Diana gave him her left, where she bore no rings. Being spot on, Bruce passed a ring over her left index, and Diana thought of his proposal, quite a lot of years ago.

She withdrew her hand and examined the ring. It had the shape of a sakura. Its petals were made of shiny ivory and in the center, there was a small yellow diamond. "It's amazing, Bruce. You shouldn't have."

"But I wanted to. There's also an inscription on the ring, but it's in Japanese."

"And what does it say?"

"Find out yourself." Bruce said playfully, drinking some of his sake.

A couple of days later, Iphigenia informed her that it wrote 'to the most beautiful sakura'.

***Here's the double chapter! I hoped you enjoyed it, I know I did! I don't know if summer is the sakura blooming season, but I had it that way for the sake of the romance. Anyway, I will see you again at the next and final chapter. Thanks for reading!***


	13. Chapter 13

***Hello, dear readers.**

**I want to thank you for your feedback on chapter 12 and your continuous support on my BMWW fanfics. They mean a lot, trust me. There are a couple of things I'd like to say to you but I'd rather write them by the end of this little, the last, chapter. I hope you enjoy and, as always, thanks for reading. **

**PS.: I know the family tree might be a bit complicated but I had it all settled in my head and anyway, you don't have to bother too much with it. :P ***

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN-FIN**

The old lady marched proudly over the freshly cut grass of the enormous house's garden. The place she wanted to visit was on purpose located on the further corner of their property. Her dark grey hair was decorated with several streaks of white color and was all gathered back, in an elegant bun by the base of her head. She sat on the stone bench and straightened her black skirt and her white lacy button-down shirt. She took a look at her somewhat wrinkled hands and the two rings that decorated her right index and smiled.

"Hello, Bruce." She said and stared blankly at the marble tombstone a couple of meters in front of the bench. "I'm sorry for not coming sooner, it was such a hectic month. The UN had me settle a dispute in the Middle East. You can't believe the power a good name has; I got it settled!" She smiled a little. "Don't know what kind of useless diplomats they had, to need a ninety-three-year-old lady to work it out, though."

She sighed a bit, taking a look at the flowers paving the grave. "Albert has done a marvelous work with your flowers, I see. He is a natural when it comes to keeping a household, much like his uncle. We were just so lucky to have him come after Alfred's passing. When was that, really? Twenty? Twenty five years ago? My, I'm slowly starting to lose count of the years…" She giggled sadly, fiddling with her pearl necklace. "On other news, now, Iphigenia is considering retirement. Now that she's a grandma, she thinks of staying at home with Iphigenia Junior as, you see, Bruce and Aurora need to work. She's still giving it some thought, though, because she really likes being a League-Police liaison. She has been doing this for a good three decades now, I think. Thomas, on the other hand, is as active as always. The Enterprise is going perfect and they're considering several expansions to the company's branches. Don't ask me what expansions, you know I never, ever got busy with that business stuff. The Wayne Museum is coming up nicely, too. The official opening will be in just some months' time. Wish you'd be there; your room is one of the best –I took personal care of that."

She took a deep breath and paused for some moments. "Oh, my, I forgot to mention the most important thing! Remember when I told you some months ago that Diana was pregnant and that Thomas would finally be a grandpa too? Well, we now know that the fetus is a boy and its name will be Thomas as well. Not much of originality in the names in this family! Our Cassie is going to be the godmother!" She grinned to herself.

"You know, Diana's coming to stay with us till she gives birth. She is on League leave till then and enjoying some deserved vacations. I am happy to have her with me, even for just some months. With her being a superheroine, I hardly ever get to see her anymore."

"I remember how you didn't want her to be a Leaguer. Saying it's too dangerous and then blaming my mother and the summers at Themyscira again. Well, your daughter went there too and didn't become a heroine! Just a…behavioral analysis unit chief in the Secret Agency. Nothing much!" She giggled again. "Maybe it's in the name. Maybe our Dianas are meant to save the planet, who knows."

Another minute of silence passed. Though Diana's look was focused on the grave, her mind was drifting in memories of long ago; an evening in their cottage in Greece, their honeymoon, the day they met their first grandson, a night in a bar in Gotham too many years ago…

"Oh, Bruce…" She spoke lowly. "I miss you. The kids miss you. The grandchildren miss you. We all miss you so horribly much. I try not to show it, but they know. Especially Thomas and Iphigenia; they can see it. I'm not the same without you. I try to be strong and active and helpful as much as possible –believe me, I do. But sometimes it's just too much for me to go to bed without you by my side and wake up not having to remind you to take your blood pressure pill."

"It sounds so hideous!" She said, huffing. "Your pills. Your doctor visits. Your check-ups. Look at what age did to us; us who were the epitome of human health back in the day! Who had saved this planet more times than I can remember! Look at how we're now. Depending on some blue and white tablets…"

"But we aged gracefully, didn't we, Bruce? You were so handsome, even in your last days. Your hair was white, sure, but still dense and shiny. Your posture was amazing for a man your age and though wrinkles certainly didn't go easy on you, your eyes were always so clear and piercing. How I miss them, how I miss staring into them!" Her own eyes got watery. "I'm never going to see them again…" She mumbled and tried to hold back the tears.

"Why haven't you come in my dreams recently?" She asked a minute later. "It's been months since I last saw you. I know it's just my subconscious but it's the only time when I feel like you're with me again. I can project you in my mind all I want, but it's not the same. And, Bruce, I'm afraid. No, not just afraid; terrified, that one day, my memories will be so faded that I won't even be able to remember your face! And what will I do then? Photographs are not the same. They work but it's not like having you pop up in my head easily, without having to look at anything."

"You know, I stumbled upon Alfred's personal album the other day and I have been browsing it almost every day. That man has so many of our moments in there! Iphigenia wants to make a copy of it to show her grandchildren. I agreed, of course. They should know of their wonderful grand-grandfather. I will live to tell them about you; I know I will. But what kind of life will that be without you? I don't know."

"It's been almost two years. Almost two years since you left us, you left me." Two bitter tears rolled down her cheeks. "I remember that day like it was yesterday…" Her mind travelled back.

"You woke up suspiciously cheerful that day. Cheerful enough to worry us all; you weren't your usual self, because you knew. You knew that you were going to pass away. I don't know how you did it, but you knew. And you didn't tell me! You knew I was going to believe you and I suppose you didn't want to see me sad, right? So much like you."

"We had a walk around the garden that afternoon. It'd been a long time since we last had one, but it was a good walk, almost felt like we were young again! We came home and you were lucky enough that everyone was there and we took our dinner all together. At least you got to see them one last time, as they did too." More tears ran from her eyes to her chin, yet her voice was stable. "At night, you hugged me and caressed my hair and kissed me and just before we went to sleep, you told me you loved me. And then you never woke up again…" She burst into tears, holding her face in her hands.

She knew thinking about it always brought tears to her eyes, but sometimes, it was the only thing she could think of, no matter how hard she tried to occupy her mind with anything else.

"I'm so lonely, Bruce!" She cried. "So lonely, in a house full of people, of my people! All because you're not here. And I love them all so much, I really do! If I didn't love them, I wouldn't have lingered around here this long, I would have joined you a long time ago." She hastily wiped her eyes. "But they need me and I need them, and I can't take myself away from our family just yet. I know that my life is not close to ending, I can feel it. So, please, my love, wait for me. Wait for me, and one day, I will be with you again. Just hang on a little longer…"

OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO

Cassandra Kent looked at the tombstones sadly. Connor and Dione placed a bouquet of roses in each of the graves and went to stand back with their mother and brother, Alexander. Cassandra turned to look at her triplets. "My grandparents were amazing people…" She said.

"Grand-granny Diana certainly was admirable." Dione said. "Too bad she had to go."

"Well, it's not like she didn't have her share of life." Alexander said, his dark eyes scanning the graves. "She almost reached a hundred and twenty."

"We'll almost go that far too." Connor mumbled. "I mean, there's Amazon blood in all of us, right?"

"Right, baby." Cassandra said, although none of her children were babies; they were nearing their mid-twenties. "And the genes of this family are strong. For example, you, Alexander, are so much like my grandpa."

"Bruce?"

"Yes."

"Well, mom, you always said he looks like Great-uncle Thomas." Dione said.

"And Great-uncle Thomas, if I correctly recall you saying," Connor continued, "looked very much like Grand-granfather Bruce."

"Right." Cassandra said, nodding. "All but Diana's eyes. You, Alex, like me, have your grandma Iphigenia's eyes, which are Bruce's."

"Ugh, enough with the family trees, I'm confused already." Alexander said, shaking his hand. "Let's head back."

As they were crossing the Manor's garden, Dione tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mother…"

"Yes?"

"Grand-grandma Diana didn't seem too sad to die…"

"Why would she be? She had lived a full life, left behind wonderful people and, well, she was going to her husband."

"She really did love him much, uh?"

"I really can't describe how much my grandparents loved each other. Such a love I wish for all of you to find. Do you know what her final words were?"

"No, I wasn't there, I'm afraid."

"Before she closed her eyes for the last time, she gave us all her blessing and laid back, grinned lightly and mumbled 'I'm coming…'"

***Certainly a full life and a nice family they got! This is it, then! The end of this series of short stories. I really hope you liked them and on my part, I'd like to thank you from my heart for following and reading this story to its end. I've found wonderful readers in the BMWW 'community' and I thank you all for your support. I want you to know that these two fanfics ( A Chase/Life of Wonder) are very special to me and I'd like to think that I'll certainly be back at the BMWW pairing with fresh ideas! Who knows, maybe I'll even do a second series of stupid stories like these. No matter what, I'd very much like to see all of you in other BMWW works that might follow in the future, as for now, I'll be writing on some other pairs.**

**Let me just leave this here too: Just because I love BMWW this much, I'd be happy to take small requests for bdays and stuff for one-shots. (I received one some time ago for another pairing I write on and I found it nice.) My PM box is always open.**

**So… This is goodbye here, then. I've had a wonderful time, thank you all!***


End file.
